A dark, dense Christmas sweet bread from Hône, in the lower Valle d'Aosta, built on a mix of wholemeal wheat and rye flour and enriched with chestnuts, raisins, butter, eggs and sugar, usually with walnuts, dried figs and flakes of chocolate. The heavy, slow-baked dough keeps moist for many days and is eaten right through the holidays.
Micóoula is the festive loaf of Hône, a small commune in the lower valley, which turns the everyday dark rye bread of the alpine winter into a Christmas sweet. It is said to descend from a plain chestnut bread of the neighbouring Champorcher valley, gathering its richer trimmings of butter, eggs, dried fruit and chocolate over time; its patois name is said to mean simply a smaller, special loaf. It is eaten from breakfast with milky coffee to the close of a meal with local honeys and cheeses, or with Lardo d'Arnad and mocetta, and is celebrated at Hône's Sagra della micóoula around the feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. It is distinct from Cogne's mécoulin.
The crumb is dark and tight, closer to a moist fruited pudding-bread than a light loaf, chewy with figs and raisins, crunchy with walnuts, sweet and faintly bitter from chocolate and the earthy rye. Chestnut lends a mealy sweetness, and a slice keeps its moisture for days.
Rye flour carries little gluten but is rich in pentosans, which soak up and hold a great deal of water, giving the loaf its dense, moist, close crumb. Chestnut and the concentrated sugars of honey, raisins and figs act as humectants that lock in moisture, so the bread stays soft for many days. Slow baking in the falling heat of a wood-fired oven sets the heavy, wet dough all the way through without scorching, while the sugar-rich crust browns dark and glossy through caramelisation and the Maillard reaction.
Variations
Recipes vary from household to household: some lean on more chestnut, others add more chocolate, walnuts or dried figs, and the balance of wheat to rye flour shifts the colour and density of the crumb. The older, plainer chestnut bread of the Champorcher valley is the frugal ancestor of the richer festive version.
On the Palate
Where Micóoula sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10
How it's made
7 steps · 40 min
- 115 min
Soak 200g raisins in warm water until plump, and roughly chop 200g cooked chestnuts, 100g walnuts and 100g dried figs.
- 220 min
Warm 250ml milk to blood heat, dissolve 15g fresh yeast in it, and mix in a little of the flour to make a soft starter; leave 20 minutes until frothy.
- 312 min
Combine 300g wholemeal wheat flour and 200g rye flour with 120g sugar, 2 eggs, 100g softened butter and the starter; knead to a heavy, sticky dough.
- 48 min
Work in the chestnuts, raisins, walnuts, figs and 80g chopped chocolate until evenly spread through the dough.
- 5180 min
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until swollen, about 2 to 3 hours, as rye dough rises slowly.
Watch outGive the heavy rye dough its full two-to-three hours — it rises slowly and low, so don't judge it by wheat dough's puff; wait for a clear swell.
- 630 min
Shape into a round loaf on a lined tray, brush with milk, and let it rest 30 minutes.
- 760 min
Bake at 170℃ for about 60 minutes, until dark and firm; cool completely before slicing, and keep sealed.
Watch outBake the full hour until dark and firm right through — this wet, dense loaf needs the long, gentle heat to set at the center without scorching.
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