Antwerp’s Piots
Nestled in Antwerp’s zigzagging streets of old and new is a warm little patisserie called Konditori. The baker, Steve van Huygevoort and his wife Angelique Smet, bring their worldly baking knowledge to the modern shopfront, providing a surprising assortment of original breads and pastries. Among them is rogge verdomme, an ancient Belgian bread, which has undergone a charming transformation.
Originating in the heart of Antwerp, rogge verdomme translates to ‘rye for the damned’. In the middle ages, a famous Dutch grain mill owner gifted the Het Steen castle (a prison between 1303–1827) prisoners and local poverty-stricken families loaves made from the leftover grains. A berry or raisin would be added to the bread to make it more edible. Piots are a modern, miniature version of this bread and are popular in Antwerp for breakfast with a coffee or for children as an after-school treat.
Piots served on an Andrei Davidoff plate courtesy of Craft Victoria. Photo by Beth Wilkinson for Lindsay.
Ingredients
500 g plain flour
225 g milk
35 g yeast
3 egg yolks
50 g sugar
10 g salt
80 g raisins
Method
Serves: 20 / Skill level: Easy / Vegetarian
1. In a bowl, combine flour, milk, yeast, egg yolks, sugar and salt.
2. On a dusted surface, knead the mixture until you have a smooth dough. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
3. Gradually knead raisins into the dough.
4. Leave the dough to rest in a cool place for a further 35 minutes.
5. Once the dough has risen, push the air out and divide into little balls (piots) weighing approximately 50 grams each. Let the piots set under a plastic sheet or clean towel 60 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 230° C (450° F). Lightly dust the piots with flour and bake for 8 minutes. They should be slightly golden and soft. Allow to cool before eating.
Konditori is located at Schermersstraat 8, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
Beth Wilkinson is the founder, editor and creative director of Lindsay, based in Melbourne, Australia. She inherited her first analogue camera from her grandfather, Lindsay James Stanger (the namesake of this publication), and has been photographing people and places ever since.
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