31.3.25

TRADITIONAL CANESTRELLO RECIPE FROM SAN MARCO IN LAMIS -PUGLIA - ITALY | SEDICIPUGLIA CLEMENTINA

Traditional Easter Sweet Bread from the Gargano, just baked: golden, fragrant, and full of meaning.

The canestrello is the typical Easter sweet from San Marco in Lamis, a small town in the heart of the Gargano (Puglia, Italy). It’s an ancient recipe, soft like brioche bread, deeply connected to Holy Week traditions. A beautiful, golden braid that smells like home and memories.

Sweets of memory and identity

Some sweets don’t speak to us.

Some are full of additives, preservatives, too much sugar and fat—empty calories in disguise.

They have no soul. They don’t last.

But then there are sweets that smell like home.

They’ve survived for centuries because they were born from something real.

Old recipes, passed down through generations.

They’re not trendy. They’re timeless.

Because they’re made of memory, identity, and culture.

And this is the canestrello.

Sweets are like people.

Some leave you indifferent.

Some are too heavy, artificial.

But others are sincere. They stay with you.

They light up your life with the simplest gesture.

Just like this sweet bread.

The Canestrello: a silent symbol

Every year, it comes back to tell our story.

Just like the Fracchie, the giant torches of San Marco in Lamis, lighting up the Holy Friday night.

This sweet smells like the past 🌸

Soft, golden, with the scent of citrus and patience.

It’s made during the quiet days of Holy Week, when time slows down and ovens warm every home.

Once, it was made in silence, with devotion and care.

Recipes were passed down in whispers, like precious secrets.

The canestrello was—and still is—a symbol of faith and rebirth, made with love and simple ingredients.

Each braid tells a story.

Each egg nestled in the dough is a wish for life and abundance.

It’s a sweet that has accompanied Easter in the Gargano for generations, but the people of San Marco carry it in their hearts all year round.

🥮 Category: Traditional Easter Sweets from the Gargano

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Serves: 10–11 people

⚠️ Difficulty: Medium (long preparation time)

💰 Cost: Low

⏱️ Prep Time: 40 minutes

⏳ First rise (biga): 3 hours

⏳ Second rise: 24 hours

⏳ Final rise: 2–3 hours

🔥 Bake: 30 minutes at 180°C (350°F)

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) all-purpose flour

• 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

• 6 eggs

• 60 g (1/4 cup) lard

• 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) milk

• 200 ml water (for the biga)

• 5 g (1 tsp) fresh brewer’s yeast

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 small glass of grappa (or rum)

• Pinch of salt

• Egg yolk for brushing

Optional: hard-boiled eggs in shell, chocolate chips, almonds, sugar sprinkles

Preparation

1. Make the biga (starter):

Dissolve yeast in warm water, mix in 200 g flour from the total. Cover and let rise for 3 hours.

2. Prepare the dough:

In a large bowl, add the remaining flour. Make a well in the center and add eggs, sugar, lard, milk, grappa, citrus zests, salt, and the risen biga.

Knead until soft and elastic.

Beat the dough three times with your hands, cover, and let rise for 24 hours at room temperature.

3. Shape the braids:

After rising, divide the dough as you prefer. With 1 kg of flour, you can make:

• One large round canestrello (baking pan 32 cm with hole)

• Two smaller braided loaves

• Or one large elongated braid

For a round canestrello, divide into 3 equal pieces, roll into ropes, braid and form a circle.

Place in a greased pan or on baking paper. Let rise again for 2–3 hours, covered.

4. Decorate and bake:

Brush with egg yolk and a little milk.

Traditionally, a raw egg in its shell is placed in the braid.

Optional decorations: chocolate chips, almonds, or sugar sprinkles.

Bake in preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes, until golden.

In the end.

The canestrello is more than just an Easter sweet.

It’s a gesture of love, a shared memory, a symbol of tradition that connects generations.

It is the very soul of San Marco in Lamis—an edible heritage, braided and alive, renewed each Easter.

Fun Fact

Originally made with sourdough (lievito madre) on Holy Thursday, to be ready by Easter Sunday.

This modern version with yeast is easier for many, but keeps the charm and taste of the past.

If you visit Puglia and stop in San Marco in Lamis, don’t forget to take home a canestrello.

You’ll find it in every bakery—simple, heartfelt, unforgettable.

Sedicipuglia with Clementina is a blog about traditional Apulian and Italian cuisine, featuring recipes and culinary stories.

🔎 You Might Also Like

If you enjoyed this traditional Puglian recipe, you might also be interested in:

👉 Propati della Zita – Traditional Puglian Wedding and Easter Sweet from San Giovanni Rotondo – A soft, spiced ring-shaped pastry infused with cinnamon, symbolizing love and celebration.

This is my first traditional sweet recipe shared in English. I hope it brings a little taste of Puglia to your home. More are coming soon!
With love from Puglia,
Clementina – Sedicipuglia

Tags:

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