Cornettis

By Laura Coffee, Marketing & Owner Services Manager, Co-op Owner

When I was a kid in the Upper Peninsula my family would buy these rolls from the local bakery to go with some of my favorite dishes, like raviolis, spaghetti, or turkey soup. They’re almost impossible to find outside of the area though, so when I spotted this recipe in one of my Mother’s cookbooks, I was excited to try it. This year I made them to go with Thanksgiving dinner. These didn’t come out quite as pretty as the ones in the store, but they tasted just the same – delicious! Here is the original recipe, with some clarifying notes from yours truly:

This recipe is from Mrs. Richard Smaniotti of Hamilton Lakes. She got the recipe from her grandmother, Mrs. Margaret Paternaster, who was born in 1885 in Tyrol, Austria. She was Christened Margaret Stephanie Dapaz. In 1903 she came to America to marry her husband Dante. They were well known in the area as they operated the local bakery shop in Norway.

Cornetti (Italian Bread Roll)

Mix together:

• 1 Tbsp shortening
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 cup boiling water

Then add (in this order):

• 1 cup cool water
• 1 package dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
• 6 cups flour

Knead bread dough five minutes, let rise to double in size. (I suggest covering the dough with plastic wrap or a clean towel during the rises.) With knife, cut off pieces approximately the size of a hot dog bun. (I ended up with 10 chunks, you could probably do 12 if you wanted.) Let stand 10 min. Taking ends of dough in each hand, slap on table and stretch 10 to 12 inches. With left hand roll left side of dough 3 times. From right side with right hand roll until you meet left roll. (I understood this to mean that you place your right hand on the right side of the dough and your left hand in the middle and roll with both to the left, repeating three times.) Give right roll a complete twist forming a capital letter (T). (Having seen actual Cornettis in the bakery, I think this means that you twist the roll of dough completely in half and place the right portion on top of the left. I opted to lay it across the center rather than the top, as the ones I’m used to are shaped more like an X than a T.) Pinch first roll onto second roll so it will stay together. Let rise until double in bulk.

Bake 350° for 30 minutes. Brush with water 2-3 times during baking. (This helps give a firm texture to the outer crust. I brushed the rolls with water at 10 and 20 minutes. They needed to go closer to 35 minutes than 30 after I opened the door twice. After the second brushing I suggest just leaving them in until they begin to turn golden brown, anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes.)