At Home Sfogliatelle

Going out to buy a sfogliatella riccia is one thing, but what about making them at home? Is it possible to get those golden, flaky layers without hopping on the next plane to Italy? Well, today I am going to give it a try. And, yes, I am very, very nervous. If Neapolitans themselves never make them at home, who am I to attempt this feat?!

Here's the recipe I used. I've based this off of a variety of sfogliatella recipes I found online and in cookbooks.

Sfogliatelle

(12)

For the dough:

1 cup butter (unsalted)

1/2 cup sugar

3-4 cups flour

2/3-1 cup water

1 teaspoon honey

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter for brushing

For the filling:

1 cup water

1/4 cup semolina

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup ricotta

1 egg, large

1/4 cup candied orange peels

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

cinnamon

powdered sugar

Making the dough is pretty simple. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces and mix until you have small crumbles of dough. The honey and the water come next, added in a bit at a time. After the water and honey are fully incorporated the dough should start to take on a ball-like form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. (The dough can also be prepared a day in advance and left in the fridge overnight.)

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Cut this into 4 pieces of equal dimension. Roll out the four pieces of dough into rectangles of the same size. Try to get them as thin as possible. Butter the first sheet, place the second on top. Do the same with the other sheets until you have one large 4-layer rectangle of dough. Don't forget to butter the top! Now, roll up the dough like a log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate again for at least an hour.

To prepare the filling, heat the water, the sugar and the semolina over a medium flame until the mixture thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Take saucepan off of the burner and add in the ricotta, the egg, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well, then pop it in the fridge to let cool.

Now it's time to "assemble" the sfogliatelle. First preheat the oven to 400 F/ 205 C. Next, cut the log of dough into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Carefully make each into a cone shape with your fingers. Try to get these as thin as possible too. Fill the shells with about 1-2 tbs of the ricotta mixture and seal the end by pressing in gently together. (Don't overfill!) Lightly brush the pastries with butter before putting them in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Once they're out and have rested for a few minutes, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

They look pretty decent, but how will they taste?

Find out in a bit!

A presto!