We have to be honest: This sfogliatelle recipe is quite an undertaking. Some of our food editors were surprised that these Italian ricotta-filled pastries could even be made at home. However, if you're in the mood for a delicious project, sfogliatelle are worth the time and energy involved.
Ingredients
Makes about 24 pastries
For dough
For filling
Special Equipment
Make dough:
Step 1
Mix together 3 cups flour and sea salt in bowl of mixer at moderately low speed, then beat in water. Gently squeeze a small handful of dough: It should hold together without falling apart. If it doesn't, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time, beating after each addition and continuing to test. Continue beating at moderately low speed until dough forms a ball, about 5 minutes (dough will not be smooth).
Step 2
Halve dough and roll out each half into a rough 12- by 5-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) with a rolling pin. Put dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Set smooth rollers of pasta machine at widest setting. Feed 1 piece of dough through rollers 6 times, folding in half each time. Feed remaining piece of dough through rollers in same manner.
Step 3
Stack both pieces of dough and, using rolling pin, roll together to form 1 (1/2-inch-thick) piece. Feed dough through rollers 10 more times, folding in half each time. Fold dough in half crosswise, then fold in half again. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 8.
Step 4
Beat together butter and lard in a bowl with mixer until pale and fluffy.
Step 5
Quarter dough. Keeping remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap, roll out 1 piece dough into a rough 4- by 8-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Feed rectangle through rollers of pasta machine (dust dough with flour as necessary to prevent sticking), making space between rollers narrower each time, until dough has gone through narrowest setting (dough strip will be about 4 feet long). Cover strip loosely with plastic wrap. Feed another piece of dough through rollers in same manner.
Step 6
Put 1 dough strip on lightly floured surface and trim ends to make even. Spread 3 tablespoons lard butter evenly over strip with offset spatula. Gently stretch strip to 9 inches wide with your fingers, moving slowly down length of strip. Beginning at a short end, carefully and tightly roll up strip, stopping 1 inch before end, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Spread other dough strip with 3 tablespoons lard butter and stretch to 9 inches in same manner (do not roll up). Overlap 1 inch of a short end onto exposed end of first roll, then continue to roll up first roll to form a tight cylinder (about 9 inches long and 2 inches in diameter).
Step 7
Feed remaining 2 pieces of dough through rollers and make another tight cylinder in same manner. Wrap cylinders well in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Chill remaining lard butter.
Make filling:
Step 8
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add semolina flour in a slow steady stream, stirring, and cook, stirring, until mixture becomes a thick heavy paste, 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread 1/4 inch thick. Chill, covered with wax paper, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Step 9
Tear semolina into pieces and mix in bowl of mixer at low speed to break up. Add yolks, vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon and beat until smooth. Mix in ricotta and candied orange peel at low speed. Spoon into pastry bag and chill.
Form pastries:
Step 10
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove remaining lard butter from refrigerator.
Step 11
Working with 1 cylinder at a time, trim about 1/2 inch from each end, then cut cylinders into 3/4-inch-thick slices (about 12). Lay 1 slice flat on work surface and gently flatten into a 4-inch round with heel of your hand, starting in center and smearing out in all directions.
Form round into a cone:
Step 12
Carefully scrape round off work surface with a knife or metal spatula. Put your thumbs underneath round and first two fingers of each hand on top, then gently push center upward with thumbs and simultaneously pull side downward with fingers, keeping layers overlapping slightly (imagine a collapsible travel cup).
Step 13
Cupping cone in palm of your hand, pipe in about 3 tablespoons filling. Pinch edges of dough together to seal and put pastry on a baking sheet. Form and fill more sfogliatelle in same manner with remaining slices and remaining cylinder.
Step 14
Brush sfogliatelle with some lard butter. Bake in batches in middle of oven (keep second batch covered with plastic wrap while first bakes), brushing with remaining lard butter twice during baking, until very crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes total. Transfer pastries to a rack to cool slightly, then serve.
·Fine semolina flour isn't labeled as such on the package, but if it doesn't say "coarse," then you've got the right product.
·Dough cylinders can be chilled up to 2 days, or frozen 1 month. Thaw before proceeding.
·Filling can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
·Filled sfogliatelle (before being brushed with lard butter and baked) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered, or frozen 1 month, wrapped well in plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before baking.
·Sfogliatelle are best eaten fresh from the oven. If you have leftovers, reheat them in a 350°F oven about 8 minutes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to TopIsn't this the original recipe given to Gourmet Magazine in 1998, from Caruso's Pastry on Bleeker Street in Utica? I have a copy of the original letter that Gourmet sent to them on October 1, 1990, stating that one of their faitful readers had requested it, and Gourmet printed it in 1998. That original letter from Gourmet Magazine still hangs on their wall in the bakery.
greeneyezz
Syracuse, NY
2/6/2021
好吧,我做了一个epicurious account just to review this recipe. I would definitley make this again. I like the dough and the custard. The reason for 3 forks as opposed to 4 is the directions. What I did to be less crazy while making this. Make the dough, rest the dough for a half hour, start running through the pasta machine kind of as described, then put the lard on stretch and roll. There is no need for a rolling pin or to use a rolling pin, all things considered this recipe takes about 4 hours the way I did it.
Christinaarocks
California
5/3/2015
This recipe produces a light pastry with a really good crunch right out of the oven. I adapted the filling with goat cheese, which turned out really nicely. However, the amount of work just isn't worth the end result. I regularly make croissants from scratch, and those are another labor of love, but one I really really love to eat. These are good but not good enough for the time commitment.
Anonymous
Caracas, Venezuela
3/10/2013
去年夏天我带几天这些,the bakery in our area that made them went out of business. I love the ricotta filling, and made the orange peel from scratch (very good to snack on all by themselves). The dough was a wonderful challenge, but I made the mistake of trying to put these together in the heat and humidity of summer. I think that it would work better in cooler, dryer conditions. I will definitely make these again, maybe in the fall!
Sunshinegirl1900
Maine
4/26/2012
Yep, these are a challenge. A REAL big project but one that is well worth the effort because no one really makes them anymore. Most italian bakeries get them from the same factory in NY because they're cheaper to buy than to make. And those really aren't all those good once you've tasted the real thing. So go for it! Read the recipe at least several times to get the rolling thing down - think of it as one of those collapsible cups - you cut a disc off the roll then slowly separate the layers into a cone shape, like one of those cups. Outstanding.
chicagok
3/17/2011
Pastizzi and sfolgiatelle are just regional variations of the same basic dish. Same basic technique... but pastizzi (from Malta) is a savory dish rather than a sweet one.
jkalman
New Hampshire
9/8/2010
Instead of bothering with the notorious sfolgiatelle dough, I simply used a muffin pan & made mini-pies. To be more authentic find a recipe for pasta folla dough (not a type of pasta). You don't need to cover them, in fact you can taste more of the filling if you leave it untopped. Enjoy!
chesspie
1/18/2010
these are TRADITIONAL ITALIAN Dolci not Malta You should look to the ingredients and preparation and know your family food tradition I wont tell you about the peptize Honestly you should learn.
AngelinaDaWhop
Italia Sicilia
8/17/2008
these are actually a Maltese traditional dish called 'pastizzi' either filled with ricotta or a pea mixture!
maltesecook
Malta
12/24/2007
These were fabulous, but I would never make them again. Because they are so challenging to make, any bakery bothering to make them makes them well, without chemicals or additives. Since I cannot improve on the quality of the bakery version, I'd rather drive 40 minutes to buy sfogliatelle than spend several hours making them. My next batch will come from Mike's Pastry in Boston!
ashms
Sherborn, MA
7/14/2005
This is a special pastry and a favorite of my husband. Very time consuming but oh so good.To save time I have used Filo pastry, brushed with butter and rolled the stack of sheets tightly and cut into strips which I then formed into the sea shell shape of the sfogliatelle.
Carol Ann
Florida
4/18/2004
Very time consuming. Short-cuts are to layer four strips (6"by 20") with lard butter inbetween each layer. Then using short end roll up as one cylinder. Roll until 8 inches long and approx. 2 inch diameter, then trim ends. Also use rolling pin to form shells rather than hands. Make sure to start in the center and roll out towards edge creating a 5 inch circle. Keep rolling pin side of pastry on the outside to allow flaking.
Maria
11/28/2003
wonderful, but like making puff pastry, I will probably go to an Italian pastry shop, it's just time consuming, I have made other pastries but none so difficult as these. I think it's juat the time involved but for once in a lifetime, I loved it.
Connie Gotch
Mission Viejo, California
1/5/2002
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