Thanks for totally rejuvenating my homesickness for the western Boston suburbs! I've been here in NC for 12 years and still miss bean town desperately. It was not being able to find scali bread at any store that pushed me into bread baking. (All the breads at the in-store bakeries seemed to be the same basic recipe, just in different shapes.) In my attempts at scali at home I used a recipe for Italian bread, made a braided loaf, sprayed it with 'Quick Shine' (from you-know-where!) and sprinkled on sesame seeds. It was OK, sure beat anything from the store, but somehow wasn't quite right. I'll try your recipe for next week's loaf (and try to get to Chapel Hill where there is now a Trader Joe's).

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