Sfogliatella Riccia
Sfogliatella riccia is a ridged, multi-layered Neapolitan pastry shell made with paper-thin dough, filled with sweet semolina, ricotta, and candied citrus.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 85 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •Pasta machine
- •Rolling pin
- •Pastry brush
- •Baking sheet
- •Piping bag
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 17 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Bring 300 ml water and a pinch of salt to a boil, whisk in semolina, cook for two minutes, and cool completely.
- 2
Beat drained ricotta with caster sugar, egg, cinnamon, orange blossom water, candied orange peel, and the cooled semolina until smooth.
- 3
Knead flour, 200 ml water, honey, and salt until a very stiff, smooth dough forms.
- 4
Pass the dough through a pasta machine repeatedly on decreasing settings until it is paper-thin and nearly translucent.
- 5
Brush the elongated dough strip generously with softened lard and roll it tightly into a compact, cylindrical log.
- 6
Wrap the dough log in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least two hours until firm.
- 7
Slice the chilled dough log into one centimetre thick rounds.
- 8
Coat your thumbs with lard and press each disk from the centre outwards to form a hollow, stepped cone shape.
- 9
Pipe the ricotta filling into the cavity of each dough cone, gently pressing the opening edges together without sealing completely.
- 10
Arrange pastries on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
- 11
Dust generously with icing sugar and serve warm from the oven.
Chef's tips
The dough must be exceptionally stiff when first mixed; do not add extra water. Use strutto (rendered lard) rather than butter, as lard provides the authentic crispness and separation of the fine ridges. Ensure the ricotta is thoroughly drained overnight so the filling does not leak steam during baking.
Ingredient substitutions
- strutto → clarified butter, though the outer ridges will be less crisp and delicate
- orange blossom water → finely grated fresh orange zest and vanilla extract
Storage
Store baked pastries at room temperature in an unsealed paper bag for up to one day to maintain crispness.
Reheating
Reheat in a preheated oven at 180°C for five to eight minutes to restore the pastry shell's crunch.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the dough too thickly, which makes the pastry tough rather than crisp and flaky
- •Using wet ricotta, which creates excess steam and splits the pastry shell
- •Baking at too low a temperature, causing the lard to melt out before the layers set
Serving suggestions
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