I tried a old family bread while in Italy. It was made by my friends mother. The are from Calabria. At first I thought the bread was stale! It was hard and in a box in the cupboard.
My friend showed me how you quickly run it under the faucet to dampen it slightly then wrap it in a tea towel. In about 10 minutes it softens and fluffs up. It is the best tasting bread I have ever tasted and would like to have the recipe.
I met an very old women who was from Calabria. In my limited Italian ( she did not speak english) She told me she knew what I was talkig about and that she could not explain but another day she would show me. She told me it did not have eggs in it and that it was cooked along time at a low temperature. Unfortunately, she passed away before she could show me the recipe.
This bread stores for a vey long time without refrigeration and tastes wonderful.
If anyone knows the recipe, I would be very thankful