Multigrain Puccia bread with roasted eggplant, smoked scamorza cheese, and cooked ham

The comfort food you don't expect — and won't forget.

Rustic Leccese

Multigrain Puccia with roasted eggplant, smoked scamorza, and roasted cooked ham

Some recipes taste like home even before you try them.

The stringy smoked scamorza, the roasted eggplant that yields to the first bite, the roasted ham with its discreet underlying sweetness. Three ingredients that have always known each other—but that find a new setting in the Altamarea Multigrain Puccia.

The cereal dough adds structure and character: a sturdier crust, a fuller flavor, a chewiness that complements without overpowering. The result is a puccia that truly warms you—in the most concrete sense of the word.

Rustic, gooey, immediate. Nothing superfluous.

Ingredients

(for 2 people)

For the filling:

2 Altamarea Multigrain Pucce
160 g roasted cooked ham (4-5 slices per puccia)
120 g smoked scamorza cheese (thinly sliced)
2 medium eggplants (or 1 large)
2-3 tablespoons EVO oil
1 clove garlic (optional)
Salt to taste
Dried oregano to taste

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Method

Step 1 — Grill the eggplant

Wash the eggplants and slice them about 8 mm thick. Heat a grill pan or non-stick skillet over high heat without oil. Place the slices on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until dark grill marks appear and the flesh yields slightly to pressure. After cooking: add EVO oil, salt, and oregano. Let rest for 2 minutes.

Step 2 — Prepare the scamorza

Slice the smoked scamorza cheese thinly (3-4 mm). There's no need to heat it separately: the heat from the puccia and eggplant will melt it at the right moment.

Step 3 — Heat the puccia

Place the Multigrain Puccia in the oven at 180°C for 5-7 minutes. For this recipe, the oven is preferable to a grill pan: the heat envelops the dough uniformly and prepares the base to receive the scamorza without drying it out.

Step 4 — Assemble while hot

Open the warm puccia. On the base, arrange the slices of smoked scamorza — they should cover the entire surface. Add the slices of roasted ham, overlapping them slightly. Close with the grilled eggplant, still warm. Press with your palm to slightly compact the filling. The residual heat from the puccia and eggplant will begin to work its magic on the scamorza.

Step 5 — Serve immediately or wrap

This puccia also works "on the go": wrapped in parchment paper for 3-4 minutes after assembly, the internal heat completes the melting of the scamorza and compacts the layers. Perfect for takeout or a lunch break.

Why this recipe

The secret lies in the smoking process as a common thread.

The smoked scamorzaprovides the main smoky note — warm, enveloping, vaguely intense. The roasted eggplantsamplify that note with their caramelized sweetness and grill marks. The roasted hamprovides balance: its delicacy prevents the smokiness from becoming overwhelming, and its soft texture contrasts with the crust of the puccia.

The MultigrainAltamarea Puccia is the right choice for this filling: its more robust dough with complex flavors stands up to the scamorza without disappearing. A traditional puccia would be too neutral — character is needed here.

Tips to avoid making mistakes

Eggplant absorbing too much oil?Salt the slices 20 minutes beforehand, then pat dry with paper towels. The excess water evaporates, and the eggplant absorbs less oil when cooked.

Scamorza not melting and stretching?This means the puccia was not hot enough during assembly. Solve this by placing the assembled (closed) puccia in an oven at 160°C for 3-4 minutes.

Roasted ham "slipping" out?Arrange the slices perpendicularly to the puccia's opening, not parallel. They will hold together better.

Eggplant too soft?Cut the slices thicker (1 cm) and cook on a griddle over high heat without covering. Steam softens them — an uncovered griddle dries and roasts them.

Variants

Lighter version:
Replace the roasted ham with thinly sliced grilled chicken breast. Less sodium, more protein. The scamorza and eggplant remain — they hold the smoky profile together.

Gourmet version:
Add a teaspoon of sun-dried tomato pesto to the base before the scamorza. The acidic and concentrated note of the sun-dried tomato creates a stark contrast with the smokiness of the scamorza — it works very well.

Fully vegetarian version:
Remove the ham, add grilled zucchini and a tablespoon of crumbled salted ricotta. The smokiness of the scamorza alone maintains the profile of the filling.

Storage and Preparation

Roasted eggplant:stores in the fridge for 2-3 days in oil, covered. Improves the next day — prepare in advance.

Smoked scamorza:once opened, wrap the remaining piece in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Stores in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Cotto arrosto (roasted cooked ham):consume within 2-3 days of opening. Do not freeze pre-sliced ham.

Assembled pucciacan be wrapped in parchment paper and consumed within 30-40 minutes if kept warm. Beyond that, the scamorza will harden and the crust will soften.

This recipe pairs well with

Altamarea Multigrain Puccia

dough made with sea water and a mix of selected cereals, with a more robust crust and fuller flavor. The perfect base for fillings that demand attention.

DISCOVER IT NOW

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

Can I use frozen grilled eggplant?

Yes, it's a quick solution and it works well. Thaw the slices in a pan over high heat for 2 minutes per side – it regains its roasted texture. Pay attention to the salt: frozen eggplants are often already seasoned.

Smoked scamorza or smoked provola?

They are similar but not identical. Scamorza is softer and melts sooner. Provola is firmer and has a more pronounced smoky flavor. For this recipe, scamorza is the more balanced choice—provola works if you want a more intense profile.

Can I microwave the assembled puccia?

Better not. The microwave softens the crust and doesn't distribute heat evenly over the scamorza. Use the oven (160°C, 4 min) or a griddle over low heat with a lid.

What kind of roasted ham should I choose?

Look for quality roasted ham, with a good percentage of meat (read the label). Roasted ham has a more decisive and drier flavor than classic cooked ham — it holds its texture better in hot fillings without becoming mushy.

Can I use Traditional Puccia instead of Multigrain?

You can, but you lose some of its character. The Multigrain is designed for more structured and flavorful fillings. The more neutral Traditional leaves too much room for the smoky flavor without balancing it — the result is less harmonious.