Italian Sfogliatella Riccia

Method

A shell-shaped pastry that shatters with a loud crunch to reveal a smooth ricotta and candied fruit filling. The crust is golden, marked by hundreds of thin, crispy ridges.

1. 1

   Mix the wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, honey, grey sea salt, and mineral water. Knead vigorously until the dough is very firm and elastic. It should not stick to your fingers.

2. 2

   Pass the dough through a pasta machine repeatedly to obtain a strip several meters long, thin as silk paper. You should be able to see the work surface through the dough.

3. 3

   Spread the softened lard over the entire surface of the strip. Roll the dough very tightly onto itself to form a compact cylinder. The lard is key: it separates the layers during baking.

4. 4

   Wrap the cylinder in a cloth and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The fat must solidify to allow a clean cut without crushing the layers.

5. 5

   Bring the whole milk to a boil with a pinch of salt. Rain in the semolina and cook until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the pan. Let cool completely.

6. 6

   Mix the cold semolina with the ricotta, white sugar, egg, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and finely chopped candied fruits. The filling should be homogeneous and dense.

7. 7

   Cut the cylinder into one-centimeter slices. Push the center with your thumbs to form a cone. Fill generously. Bake at 200°C until the layers fan out and become golden and brittle.