Fisherman's Bread

Fisherman’s bread is a traditional Italian sweet bread studded with golden raisins, diced candied orange and lemon peels, and fennel seeds, enriched with butter, eggs, and a splash of dry Marsala. Despite the name, there’s no fish involved. It’s a coastal Italian celebration bread, the kind of thing fishing families would bake for holidays and feast days.

This is a quick bread, not a yeast bread. Baking powder provides the lift, so there’s no rising time, no proofing, no kneading beyond a brief 2-minute turn on the board. The dough comes together as a rough, shaggy mass and gets shaped into flat discs scored with a grid pattern on top.

Fennel seeds give this bread its most distinctive flavor. They have a mild, anise-like sweetness that pairs naturally with the candied citrus peels and the fortified wine. It’s a flavor combination that’s unmistakably southern Italian.

Chef Tips

• Cream the butter and sugar for the full 5 to 7 minutes until genuinely fluffy and pale. This aeration is the only lightness this dense dough gets.
• The dough should be soft and slightly sticky after kneading. Don’t add extra flour to make it smooth; too much flour makes the bread dry and heavy.
• Score the grid pattern lightly with a serrated knife. Deep cuts cause the loaves to crack open during baking instead of rising evenly.
• Brush with milk before baking for a golden, slightly glossy crust.

Variations

• Anise liqueur version: Replace the Marsala with Sambuca or anisette for a stronger anise character that amplifies the fennel seeds.
• Chocolate chip studded: Fold in mini chocolate chips alongside the raisins for a modern twist that kids will love.