Cinnamon Rolls! Piccolo Forno

We met Sabrina and Mino, who opened up a little bakery in Ollanta, just a couple of months ago. Sabrina is from Arequipa, Peru, and Mino is from Rome, Italy. They decided that they wanted to live in Ollantaytambo, and they started their bakery. It´s called Piccolo Forno, which means “Little Oven” in Italian. Mino has lots of experience, baking in Rome, and Sabrina is enthusiastic, warm, and welcoming. We talked a little about baking, and Sabrina said that she wanted to learn how to make cinnamon rolls, so away we went. I baked at the bakery one day, then I returned the next week after their daily production, and we made some dough and let it rise, then later in the day, we rolled it out and made some cinnamon rolls. Ollanta is full of tourists who are going to or coming from Machu Picchu, and cinnamon rolls seem like something a lot of them would like.

We put the first batch in the oven about 7:00 pm, and then, at about 7:15, a whole group of tourists came in the door, from Portland, Oregon of all places, in search of some baked goods. They sat down, and when the cinnamon rolls were done, they bought them all up and sat there and ate them. Not bad for the first time. I hope that the cinnamon rolls become a regular feature at Piccolo Forno.

Next week, we might try some onion buns, for sandwiches on their way to Machu Picchu.