Authentic Italian Sfogliatelle Recipes

SFOGLIATELLE RICCE - AUTHENTIC RECIPE STEP BY STEP

Steps:

• Add flour and salt in a mixing bowl, give a stir, add honey and lukewarm water. Mix well with your hands or in a stand mixer until you get a slightly crumbly dough. If you are going to roll the dough by hand it's best to add another few tablespoons of water to make the dough a bit smoother. But if you're going to use a pasta machine feel free to leave the dough at that "slightly crumbly" stage, it'll all come together later in the process.
• Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or linen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Past that time divide the dough in 3-4 parts. Take one part and keep the rest of the dough covered to prevent it from drying. Pass the first part of the dough through pasta machine on the widest setting "0 setting".Fold it over on itself, rotate and pass again on the same thickness setting.
• Pass the dough at least 3-5 times repeating the folding process, until you get a smooth and even sheet. Then set the regulating knob of the pasta machine to the next setting (setting 1) and pass it again several times. Continue increasing thickness setting until you get to the thinnest sheet possible (setting 7-8 on Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine).
• You'll need to pass the dough just once on that last thickness setting. I also recommend stopping the machine a couple of times as the dough sheet comes through and roll it up onto the rolling pin. The ends (handles) of the rolling pin should be settled between two water bottles or soup bowls to prevent the dough from touching the table. Cover rolled dough with a plastic wrap.
• Repeat the same process with the remaining dough chunks.At the end you should get a sheet pastry approx 15 feet long and 5-6 inches wide rolled over the rolling pin.
• Prepare lard at room temperature or melted butter.Start to unfold sfogliatelle sheets from the rolling pin.
• Extend the dough sheet over a clean work surface and grease it thoroughly with lard/butter making sure you smear well the edges as well.You can use your hands if using lard or painting brush if using melted butter.
• Place your hands underneath the dough and gently stretch it outwards elongating it to approx. 7-8 inches wide.
• Roll the greased piece into a very tight roll and unfold another section. Repeat the greasing, stretching and rolling process until you've used all the dough from the rolling pin.
• As a result you should get a very tight kind of dough log. Grease it all over with remaining lard/butter, cover with a plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or better yet overnight.
• If you are short on time you can place it in the freezer for about an hour.In the meantime prepare the cream.
• In a stove-top pot add milk, butter (see notes), salt and sugar. Stir well and bring the mixture to boil.
• Constantly stirring slowly add semolina. Continue whisking to avoid formation of the lumps and cook for 5 minutes. Let cool completely.
• In a food processor add cooked semolina, ricotta and an egg. Pulse a few times until smooth and even texture. If you don't have a food processor just use a hand-hold or standing mixer.
• Add candied oranges, cinnamon, vanilla extract and orange blossom water.Mix with a whisk and set aside.
• Take the sfogliatelle dough log out of the fridge and while it's still covered with a plastic wrap gently but firmly squeeze and stretch it with your hands going from the center towards the sides.
• Remove the plastic wrap and cut off uneven sides of the log, then cut into approx ½ inch slices.
• To form the sfogliatelle cone, take a dough slice and start gently working it with your fingers.Using your thumbs and a rotating motion push the center of the slice out opening up dough layers and forming a cone shape. Be careful not to push the layers too much apart, you still want them to stay together.
• Holding sfogliatella in one hand fill the cavity of the cone with ricotta cream. Make sure to fill with enough cream so that sfogliatelle stay full and puffy. If the cream is not enough they'll simply flatten out in the oven.
• Put together the edges of the opening as you can, they don't have to be perfectly sealed. The cream is thick enough to hold in the pastry.Place sfogliatelle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 380F.Bake sfogliatelle in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve warm generously dusted with confectioners' sugar.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN SFOGLIATELLE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add water and honey, and then mix to create a stiff dough. Then gradually add water.
• Place the dough on the counter and knead until it's smooth and supple. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, split the dough into 4 pieces. Get one piece, then roll through a pasta machine. Roll using the widest setting, then fold in half and roll again. Do the same on each dough. Repeat this process until you create smooth sheets by gradually decreasing the width on each roll.
• When the sheet is at 1mm thick, lay it on the surface and apply a thin layer of lard or butter. Create thin sheets of the other doughs as well and roll them into similar thin layers.
• Roll up the first thin sheet to create a tight sausage shape.
• Next, wrap the next thin dough sheet around the original sausage shape pastry dough, layering up to create one large cylinder. Cover with a saran wrap and chill for 1 to 2 hours for the pastry to firm up.
• Now, to make the filling. Place the milk, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the semolina flour until it thickens and becomes smooth. After it has cooled down, transfer to a bowl. Then, add the remaining ingredients, stirring all the while to create a smooth, thick filling. Set aside, preferably inside the fridge.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bring out the pastry roll and cut them into 1 cm-thick pieces. Use your fingers, greased with lard or butter, to make an impression on the center to create a cone shape.
• Get the filling and scoop a spoonful into the hollow and press the edges of the pastry together to lock. Repeat these for the rest, and line up all pastries on the tray.
• When you're done putting filling on all the dough pieces, bake the pastries for about 30 minutes.
• When done, allow to cool for only a couple of minutes before sprinkling them with confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately.

SFOGLIATELLA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, the semolina flour and salt. Use your fingers to work the butter into the dough until it forms pea-like balls. Alternatively, sift the dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse the butter into the mixture until it is blended and relatively smooth. Work the water in with your fingers (or in the mixer). Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and roll it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and press it down. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer. Whisk in the semolina flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. If it forms lumps as it cooks, whisk until smooth. Transfer the milk and flour mixture to a bowl to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ricotta, the egg, sugar. Add the candied orange and lemon bits and sift a dusting of cinnamon over the surface. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. Flour a flat surface and roll 1 of the halves into a rectangle about 14 inches by 24 inches. The shorter end of the rectangle should be close to you. The dough should feel very thin. The thinner the better! Brush the entire rectangle with a layer of the shortening. Sprinkle it with an even dusting of confectioners sugar. Gently and evenly roll it up into itself like a jelly sponge roll. Roll carefully, taking care that it rolls up very tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 1 to 1 1/2-inch thick pieces. Repeat the same process with the other half of the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put 1 of the dough rounds in your hand and, with the other hand, press your thumb into the middle of your other hand (and, therefore, into the dough) and start to stretch the dough. You don t want to push so much that you make a cavity just yet. First, concentrate on making the dough round bigger and flatter. When it is about the size of a large clam shell, start to smooth and push down in the middle so it forms a cavity a lot like a large clam shell. You want to finish with a cone with an opening of about 3 inches and the smaller, tapered end about 1-inch. Brush a little shortening on the dough and turn it inside out, cupping the dough cone between the length of your index finger and thumb. Carefully spoon 2 large spoonfuls of the filling into the cone. The cone should be fairly filled and go to the edges of the opening with a thin layer of the filling. Close the mouth by carefully folding the cone opening over itself. The same as if you had 2 halves of a clam shell and were closing it up. Gently press the edges of the opening, together. Arrange on a nonstick baking sheet. Repeat with all of the dough, until both of the baking sheets are filled. Brush each with the egg wash.
• Put the trays in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest a few minutes on the baking sheet.
• After the Sfogliatella have rested for a few minutes, sprinkle them with another dusting of confectioners' sugar and put each baking sheet squarely under the broiler. Do not walk away! Stay there and watch as the sugar slowly browns the top. If the layer of sugar was light and you want to make it a little browner, repeat with another dusting of sugar and another minute under the broiler. Allow them to rest a few minutes, then transfer them to a serving platter, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.