Kitchen Recipe Collection
Italian Sfogliatella
The architectural marvel of Neapolitan pastry. A shell of incredibly thin, crackling, distinct layers of dough (like a lobster tail), filled with a fragrant semolina and ricotta cream.
- Prep
- 180 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 210 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 10 servings
- strong bread flour (high gluten)
- water
- honey
- salt
- lard (strutto, huge amount for layering)
- semolina flour (for filling)
- milk
- ricotta cheese
- sugar
- candied orange peel
- cinnamon
Equipment
- Pasta machine
- Large workspace
Instructions
- 1
Make Dough
Mix flour, water, honey, and salt into a very dry, tough dough. Knead until smooth. Rest for 1 hour.
- 2
Roll Dough
Using a pasta machine, roll the dough into a continuous, impossibly long, tissue-thin ribbon. This requires a large table.
- 3
Lard and Roll
Smear a generous layer of soft lard over a section of the dough ribbon. Roll it up tightly into a log. Continue smearing and rolling the entire length of the ribbon onto the log.
- 4
Chill Log
The resulting fat log of tightly wound dough layers must be wrapped and chilled overnight.
- 5
Make Semolina Base
Boil milk and water, whisk in semolina, and cook until it forms a thick paste. Let cool completely.
- 6
Finish Filling
Blend the cold semolina paste with ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, and chopped candied orange peel.
- 7
Slice and Shape
Slice the chilled dough log into 1/2-inch discs. Take a disc, grease your thumbs with lard, and push the center outwards to form a cone or 'lobster tail' shape, revealing the concentric layers.
- 8
Stuff
Fill the cone heavily with the semolina-ricotta cream. Pinch the open end slightly to close it.
- 9
Bake
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25-30 minutes.
- 10
Serve
The layers will separate and crackle aggressively. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Cooking Tips
- This is one of the most technically demanding pastries in the world. The dough must be extremely strong to stretch paper-thin without breaking.
- Lard is mandatory. Butter contains water, which will steam and destroy the distinct flaky layers.
Variations
- Sfogliatella Frolla: A much simpler version using a standard shortcrust pastry (pasta frolla) with the same filling, lacking the layered shell.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- A masterpiece born in the Santa Rosa monastery in Campania in the 17th century.
Nutrition Estimate
420 calories · 9g protein · 45g carbs · 22g fat · 2g fiber per serving
