Sfogliatella is an Italian pastry that has the texture of a French croissant but is shaped like a shell or a lobster tail, within which you can put any kind of filling. Almond paste, candied citron peel or orange flavored ricotta are some of the most common fillings of Sfogliatella.
As you would expect with a pastry, it is sweet, flakey and delicious as a snack!
Origin & History of Sfogliatella
Legend has it that Sfogliatella was created when a nun in an Amalfi coast convent combined a leftover semolina flour with sugar, lemon and dried fruit. She then kneaded two sheets of dough and put the semolina filling in it.
It was then names Santarosa. From that pastry, a shop owner named Pasquale Pintauro made a version of it but changed its shape into a triangular lobster tail, which is the Sfogliatella of today, named so because it translates to “small leaves” as that is what the texture resembles.
Italian Sfogliatella Recipe
Ingredients
- Flour - 5g
- Salt (pinch)
- Honey - 25g
- Water - 175ml
- Whole Milk - 450ml
- Semolina Flour - 150g
- White Sugar - 100g
- Salt - 1 pinch
- Ricotta - 500g
- Egg - 1 large
- Cinnamon Powder - 1 pinch
- Vanilla Extract - ½ tsp
- Orange Peel (candied, finely chopped) - 50g
- Confectioner’s Sugar
- Butter (unsalted) or Lard - 150g
Instructions
For the Dough
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl then add honey to achieve a stiff dough. From there, gradually add the water.
- On the counter, place and knead the dough until it’s smooth and supple. Get a plastic wrap to wrap the dough and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and split it into 4 pieces. Then, roll each piece into the pasta machine with the widest setting in it. Repeat the process of folding the dough in half then rolling it again.
- When the sheet becomes 1mm thick, lay it on a clean counter and apply a thin layer of butter or lard in it. Repeat the process for the other sheets as well.
- Create a tight sausage shape by rolling up the first thin sheet.Then, wrap another thin dough sheet to the sausage shaped sheet.
- Layer it up to create a large cylinder. Using a saran wrap, wrap it up and let it chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours to firm it up.
For the Filling
- Get a saucepan and boil together milk, sugar, and salt. Then, add the semolina flour to make it thick and smooth. Let it cool down then transfer it to a bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir it together to create a smooth and thick filling then, set it aside. Better to put it inside the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Bring out the pastry roll from the fridge and cut it into 1-cm thick pieces. Then, use your fingers to grease it up with lard or butter and press the center to create a cone shape with it.
- Get the filling from the fridge then scoop a spoonful of it and put it into the center of the pastry. Press the edges together to lock the filling in. Repeat the process for the rest of the pastry then line it all up in a tray.
- After that, bake the pastries for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
- After baking, let it cool for a couple of minutes then sprinkle it with confectioner’s sugar. Serve it fresh and consume immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 263Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 7g