VegetarianEmiliana-Romagnola cuisine Desserts

Sfrappole Bolognesi

Name: Sfrappole Bolognesi
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Emiliana-Romagnola
Ingredients: 300 g tipo 00 flour; 2 whole medium eggs; 30 g Unsalted butter; 30 g caster sugar; 25 ml sassolino liqueur; 1 tsp lemon zest; 1 pinch Fine sea salt; 750 ml peanut oil; 60 g icing sugar

Sfrappole are crisp, delicate fried pastry ribbons from Bologna, scented with citrus and liqueur, then finished with a heavy dusting of icing sugar.

🇮🇹Italy· Emilia-Romagna

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 60 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 310 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

300 g tipo 00 flour — plus extra for dusting
2 whole medium eggs — at room temperature
30 g Unsalted butter — softened at room temperature
30 g caster sugar — fine granulated
25 ml sassolino liqueur — aniseed liqueur, or dry white wine
1 tsp lemon zest — finely grated from unwaxed lemon
1 pinch Fine sea salt — table salt
750 ml peanut oil — for deep frying
60 g icing sugar — for generous dusting

Equipment

•Pasta machine or rolling pin
•Fluted pastry wheel (rotella tagliapasta)
•Deep frying pan
•Slotted spoon
•Kitchen paper

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 310 kcal
fat: 12 g
carbs: 44 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 5 g
calories: 310 kcal

Instructions

1
Sift the flour onto a clean board and create a wide well in the middle.
2
Add the eggs, softened butter, caster sugar, liqueur, lemon zest, and salt into the well.
3
Whisk the inner ingredients with a fork, gradually drawing in flour until a rough dough forms.
4
Knead firmly for ten minutes until the dough feels smooth, pliable, and compact.
5
Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.
6
Roll the dough through a pasta machine down to the thinnest setting until nearly translucent.
7
Cut the dough into rectangles roughly four centimetres wide and twelve centimetres long with a fluted wheel.
8
Cut a short slit along the centre of each rectangle and thread one end through.
9
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
10
Fry three or four ribbons at a time for thirty seconds per side until pale gold and blistered.
11
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper.
12
Dust heavily with icing sugar on both sides once completely cooled.

Chef's tips

Roll the pastry as thin as possible so it blisters rapidly in hot oil without absorbing fat. Keep unused dough covered under an upturned bowl to prevent it from drying out before rolling. Fry in small batches to maintain a steady oil temperature.

Ingredient substitutions

Sassolino liqueur → dry white wine, Grappa, or Sambuca
peanut oil → lard (strutto), which is the historic frying medium in Emilia
unsalted butter → lard (strutto) in equal weight for the dough

Storage

Store in a loosely covered tin or cardboard bakery box at room temperature for up to five days; avoid airtight plastic containers which make them soggy.

Reheating

Do not reheat sfrappole as they are intended to be eaten crisp and cool at room temperature.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Rolling the dough too thick, resulting in chewy and oily pastry rather than light, crisp ribbons.
•Frying in oil that is too cold, which makes the sfrappole greasy instead of bubbly and dry.
•Dusting with icing sugar while still warm, which dissolves the sugar into a sticky glaze.

Serving suggestions

Serve piled high on a wide ceramic platter dusted with extra icing sugar.Pair with a glass of sweet sparkling Malvasia or dry Lambrusco.Enjoy as an afternoon treat with espresso.