Lagaccio is the ancestor of our products. The first. The original. All the experience and passion we put into the role of guardians of tradition comes from this delicacy.

Created with natural ingredients, it’s the protagonist in Italian grandparents’ childhood memories, which run through family stories. Starting from this specialty, we have preserved, maintained, and innovated. However, all our traditional recipes started from the Lagaccio recipe.

What is Lagaccio Grondona?

Baked twice, Lagaccio deserves the status of a “bis-cuit” (double-cooked).

Originally they were simple slices of toasted bread that were stored for the long trips of ocean cruisers, today it is suitable for breakfasts or as a snack. The recipe is a must in the Ligurian and Italian biscuits tradition. It may look like a plain cookie, but it’s actually THE plain cookie.

This complex craftsmanship survived the test of time and still creates an amazing product in its simplicity. Today, Biscotto del Lagaccio Grondona has established itself as a niche product, among other “dry pastries”, thanks to the activity of both artisan producers and small local companies.

Lagaccio Ingredients and Lagaccio nutritional values

Wheat flour, egg, sourdough (wheat flour, water), sugar, butter, barley malt, with the addition of tree nuts and soybeans. As simply combined as reading this shortlist.

Moreover, Lagaccio is as rich in protein, as it is light in your stomach.

Manitoba flour is used for its high protein value, while sourdough ensures friendly digestion through its fermentation process.

Each slice is delicately sweet and crispy, lightly scented with barley malt. The result? A simple and robust flavor.

Lagaccio Story

Biscuits of Lagaccio don’t only have a rich taste, they also have a rich story to tell. These cookies did originate in the Lagaccio district, in Genoa, many centuries ago. Back in the days, Andrea Doria’s house was at the foot of the hill, well protected and self-sufficient.

The vast perimeter of the mansion included large warehouses and deposits; its own mills.

The idea of creating a large artificial lake came from “the Admiral” in 1539. He wished to have a large water reserve sufficient to provide for his small personal fleet.

The reasons for which that water reserve, later called Lagaccio, are to be found in the subsequent long abandonment.

Some years later in 1593, a small baker began to produce this kind of cookies near the same artificial lake.

In spite of this, for the Genoese, the word “Lagaccio” has long represented only sweetness, since it was by chance that the factory of the most typical Genoese cookie was born near that lake: the Biscotti del Lagaccio!

How to eat Lagaccio Antica Genova?

Genoan tradition suggests merging Lagaccio in a hot cup of coffee or caffè-latte for a couple of seconds. The hot coffee will soften the biscuit, absorbing its flavor while keeping the consistency.

When to eat Lagaccio? The Ligurian biscuit is ideal for breakfast and for snack time with family or friends. You choose.

Its simplicity is why Lagaccio is such a pleasure to be handed down and adapted to your favorite taste. Being THE plain cookie presents the advantage of…versatility. The possibilities are endless:

• Lagaccio with coffee: merge Lagaccio in a mug of coffee to taste the combination of a fading, melting fragrance with the classic taste of coffee;
• Lagaccio with cappuccino: let Lagaccio dipped for some seconds in your cup, to absorb milk coffee and some cocoa powder from your warm beverage, just hits the spot;
• Lagaccio with tea: for everyone that prefers tea to coffee, the alternative is one steaming bite away;
• Lagaccio with jam and Lagaccio with spreads: enjoy it with a full range of jams and spreads to appreciate how different flavors are exalted from the cornerstone of simplicity.
• Lagaccio with chocolate: hot chocolate or just a solid block of it, it’s really a personal preference. But we can assure you will like to try them both before deciding your favorite.

Lagaccio Recipe

Ingredients:

White Flour 600 g (in case you don’t have Manitoba Flour)

Caster Sugar 200 g

Butter 150 g

Sourdough 50 g

Barley malt extract

Warm water 125 ml

To start the preparation of Lagaccio biscuits, dissolve the mother dough – or the yeast – (at room temperature) with 100 ml of warm water and 25 g of sugar.

Then add the flour slowly (leave aside about 50 g), while kneading. Add the remaining 125 g of sugar and the remaining 25 ml of water, without stopping mixing it.

Add the soft butter to the flakes. Finally, add the 50 g remaining of flour.

The result will be a compact dough, but not a dry one (i.e. if you use the mixer it does not come loose perfectly from the bowl).

You can add one or two tablespoons of flour if needed, the consistency should remain fairly sticky (or you can “adjust the water”, adding just a little at a time, if the dough seems too dry).

Let the dough rise indoors for over an hour, then divide the dough into two loaves.

The second rising is longer and depends a lot on the temperature and humidity (as well as the “strength” of your Sourdough), let them rest until the loaves double in size.

Bake in a hot oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, and dry on a wire rack.

The next day (wait about 24 hours) slice diagonally (slices about 1.5 cm thick) the loaves.

Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and bake again, this time at 150 ° C for forty minutes to an hour.

Turn them halfway through cooking, until they are completely dry.

In the end, making this Italian biscuit has taken about two days of preparation including rising time, rest, and slow baking.

Store at room temperature.

Recently we created Lagaccio Pane e Cioccolato, to provide your palate with the finest cocoa (discover it here).