Kitchen Recipe Collection
Italian Sfogliatella (Neapolitan Pastry)
An iconic, shell-shaped Neapolitan pastry with incredibly thin, shatteringly crisp layers, filled with sweet ricotta and semolina.
- Prep
- 240 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 270 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 12 servings
- strong bread flour
- water
- honey
- salt
- lard or shortening (for brushing)
- semolina flour
- milk
- ricotta cheese
- sugar
- candied orange peel
- cinnamon
Equipment
- Pasta machine
- Baking sheet
- Piping bag
Instructions
- 1
Make the Dough
Mix bread flour, water, honey, and salt until a very stiff, dry dough forms. Knead until smooth. Rest for 1 hour.
- 2
Roll the Dough Thin
Using a pasta machine, roll the dough into an incredibly long, paper-thin sheet, as wide as possible.
- 3
Brush with Fat
Brush the entire length of the paper-thin dough generously with melted lard (traditional) or shortening/butter.
- 4
Roll into a Log
Roll the dough tightly into a tight cylinder (like a cigar). Keep stretching the dough sideways as you roll to make it even thinner. Chill the log overnight.
- 5
Make Semolina Base
Boil milk and water, gradually whisk in semolina flour until thick. Let it cool completely.
- 6
Make the Filling
Mix the cooled semolina with drained ricotta, sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and candied orange peel until smooth.
- 7
Slice the Log
Cut the chilled dough log into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- 8
Shape the Shells
Take a slice, smear it with a little lard, and push the center outwards with your thumbs to form a cone or shell shape, separating the layers.
- 9
Fill
Fill the cavity of the cone generously with the ricotta-semolina mixture. Pinch the open ends slightly to hold the filling.
- 10
Bake
Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25-30 minutes until deeply golden brown and the layers are separated and crispy.
- 11
Cool
Let them cool on a wire rack. They will harden and crisp up significantly as they cool.
- 12
Serve
Dust heavily with powdered sugar and serve warm for the best shatteringly crisp texture.
Cooking Tips
- This is a highly advanced pastry. Using a pasta machine to get the dough paper-thin is essential; rolling by hand is nearly impossible.
- Lard is traditional because it yields the crispest layers, but vegetable shortening can be used for a vegetarian version.
Variations
- Sfogliatella Frolla: Uses the same filling but is enclosed in a simple shortcrust pastry rather than the flaky layered dough (much easier to make).
Chef's Notes & Storage
- The name comes from 'sfoglia', meaning a thin leaf or layer.
Nutrition Estimate
350 calories · 9g protein · 40g carbs · 18g fat · 2g fiber per serving
