These are not ubiquitous. Sadly. In fact, many Roman pasticcerie don't carry these. But when you can find them, definitely indulge! Or make them yourself. Also, they are not restricted to Christmastime, but I love making them for lazy holiday mornings.
Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. This week, Wendy and Sue are hosting us to share Christmas sweets and treats. Here's this week's line-up...
Christmas Tree Peanut Butter Blossoms from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
German Chocolate Caramel Bars from Palatable Pastime
Homemade Jujube Jelly Sweets from Sneha’s Recipe
Maritozzi from Culinary Cam (you're here)
Two-minute Quick Fudge from Food Lust People Love
Vegan Air Fryer Churros from Cook with Renu
Maritozzi (Roman Cream Buns)
I didn't find a single recipe or process that agreed on how to make these. So I used a few different recipes and cobbled together my own process to create these Maritozzi di Camilla. They were delicious! But because half of the people eating these don't like the taste of alcohol, I only used grappa-soaked grapes in two buns. I liked it, but this will be the non-boozed up buns. Also, I highly recommend using weight measurements, versus volume measurements, when baking.
Ingredients
Dough
540 grams flour plus more for rolling
60 grams butter, cut into cubes
250 milliliters whole milk plus 1 Tablespoon milk for the egg wash
120 grams honey (I used a Sardinian wildflower honey)
3 eggs, room temperature - 2 for the bread and one for the egg wash
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon active dried yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest from 1 organic lemon
Also needed oil for the bowl to let the dough rise
Filling
2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste or extract (but I like seeing the flecks of vanilla bean in my filling)
Procedure
Whisk together 90 grams flour and 1 cup of water in a saucepan until smooth. Heat on medium heat and stir until it thickens to become a roux, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, milk, honey, 2 eggs and salt.
Place the remaining 450 grams flour, yeast, cinnamon and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine, then slowly pour in the milk-honey mixture.
Use a wooden spoon until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball. Add flour if the mixture is too wet. Knead until elastic, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Roll it into a smooth ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover with a dish towel and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. The length of time will depend on how warm your house is. Mine took about 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Punch down the dough.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Divide the dough ball into 10 or 12 pieces, depending on how large you want your maritozzi. Roll the dough balls on the counter until they are smooth, then place them on the baking tray with good distance between them.
Leave the buns in a warm place to rise again for another 45 minutes. Whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon milk to create the egg wash. Brush buns with egg wash and place in the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the buns are completely cool, beat together the filling ingredients until thickened and fluffy. Cut down the middle of the bun - but not all the way through. Fill the cut with cream, then dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve immediately!
That's a wrap on my Christmas sweets and treats offering for #SundayFunday. The group will be back next week with Noodle Ring recipes. That's a new one for me. I will have to put on my thinking cap and do some research if I will participate.
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