The Calabrian sweet pitte are a traditional Christmas dessert, known by various names depending on the areas of Calabria and local traditions.
Depending on family traditions or local variations, the recipe may change slightly, but the name always remains linked to the history and culture of Calabria.
Here are some of the most common names: Pitta – Pitta cu d’ogghju (this is the name used in Roccabernarda, my grandparents’ and parents’ hometown) – Christmas Pitta – Calabrian Pitta – Stuffed Pitta – Pitta with honey
They are an ancient Christmas dessert, filled with tradition and family stories, festive tables, and shared sweetness. These are small “roses” of dough filled with a simple but irresistible filling: walnuts, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon, all wrapped in a thin carefully worked pastry and brushed with oil. This recipe, passed down from generation to generation, perfectly represents the spirit of Christmas in Calabria.
The pitte are scenic and crispy on the outside, with a soft and enveloping heart thanks to the honey that is drizzled on them after baking. Ideal to serve at the end of a meal during the Christmas holidays, they pair perfectly with a good glass of sweet wine or homemade liqueur. Making them is a real ritual, evoking the pleasure of traditional cooking and recipes that carry the flavor of the most beautiful memories.
If you are looking for Christmas recipes, take a look here:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 7 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, Winter
Ingredients
With these quantities, you will prepare about 7/8 trays of pitte (tray size 7×9.5 inches)
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sugar (about 7 oz)
- to taste ground cinnamon
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- to taste water (a little to dissolve the yeast)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste ground cinnamon
- 18 oz raisins
- 3.3 lbs walnuts
- to taste sugar
- 26.5 oz honey
Tools
Assist yourself with these wonderful tools, useful in the kitchen!
- Stand Mixer
- Pasta Roller
- Pastry Board
Steps
Procedure to prepare the Christmas sweet pitte
Preparing the Dough
Dissolve the fresh yeast in a bit of lukewarm water. Pour the all-purpose flour into a mound on a pastry board (or a large bowl) and add the eggs, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, and sugar to the center. Add the dissolved yeast and a pinch of ground cinnamon, which will give the dessert a unique and unmistakable aroma. Knead energetically until you obtain a smooth, soft, but not sticky dough.
Resting the Dough
Let the dough rest in a bowl covered with a cloth for at least 1 hour.
Rolling and Forming the Sheets
Divide the raised dough into pieces of about 3.5 oz each. Pass each piece through the pasta machine, obtaining thin sheets about 1/25 inch thick, 20-24 inches long, and 4.7 inches wide. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut each sheet lengthwise in half: you will get long strips of pasta 20-24 inches long and 2.4 inches wide.
Filling the Strips
Brush each strip with a little extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and well-drained raisins. Fold each strip on itself lengthwise, sealing the filling inside.
Creating the Roses
Gently roll each filled strip on itself, forming small roses. Place them on a baking tray, leaving a little space between each.
Oven Baking
Bake the sweet pitte in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 25-30 minutes, until they are golden and crispy on the outside.
Final Decoration with Honey
Once baked, let the pitte cool. Slightly heat the honey in a saucepan and let it drizzle over each rose, ensuring it distributes evenly. The honey will make the pitte shiny, sweet, and even more inviting.
Calabrian sweet pitte are an indispensable Christmas dessert in the homes of Southern Italy, where cooking becomes a ritual and recipes handed down by grandmothers represent an invaluable heritage. Perfect to enjoy during the holidays, they are a symbol of warmth and conviviality. This recipe, which celebrates simplicity and authentic flavors, will make your Christmas table shine with sweet roses of honey, walnuts, and cinnamon that will conquer everyone at the first bite.
Don’t forget to serve them with a good sweet wine or coffee to further enhance their unique flavor! Merry Christmas!
Tips, Storage
Tips:
If you want to make the sweet pitte even richer, you can add some grated orange zest to the filling or a sprinkle of ground cloves. For an even more delicious result, you can finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar after drizzling the honey.
Nonna Maria’s Advice: the leftover dough scraps should not be thrown away, but baked on a tray with a sprinkle of sugar on top, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon! They are delicious!
Storage:
The pitte can be stored at room temperature, well-sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil, for about 10 days in a cool, dry place, away from heat or humidity.
