Typical Easter cake from my city, San Severo, the scarcella cannot be missing from our tables! It tastes like the good things, homemade as it used to be, and making it again takes me back to when I was a child and watched my mother prepare this braid she placed in the pan, polished with egg yolk and left us the task of sprinkling it with sprinkles! Seeing it rise and brown in the oven was a spectacle…
To be eaten strictly on Easter day, together with the chocolate from the eggs… then of course, it is taken to the Easter Monday picnic, dipped in milk in the morning…
Therefore, if last year I introduced you to U pizz palumb, this year I reveal how to make the scarcella, because it’s nice to bring tradition to the table!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients
For 2 scarcella with 8.66 inch diameter
- 1 kg type 1 flour (or 00)
- 400 g sugar
- 160 g olive oil
- 6 eggs (medium)
- 1 packet baking powder
- to taste lemon zest (grated)
- to taste orange zest (grated)
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 egg yolk
- to taste colored sprinkles
- to taste almonds (optional)
Preparation of the Scarcella
Aromatize the sugar with the grated citrus zest.
– On the pastry board, sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, make a crater, and pour the sugar, eggs, oil in the center, and knead like a normal shortcrust pastry. (since each flour absorbs liquids differently, you might end up with softer dough, so add the necessary flour to get the right consistency; conversely, you might need a little milk if during kneading you notice the dough is hard) Since oil is used, fridge rest is not necessary.
– Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and lengthen them into sausage shapes.
. Form two braids with two strands each, and round them off like a donut closing the ends with a slight pressure.
– Place the scarcelle on baking trays lined with parchment paper, (or perforated mat) or if you prefer in donut molds.
– Beat the egg yolk and polish the surface of the cakes, decorating with colored sprinkles
– Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 35/40 minutes (depends on the oven- they should turn golden).
Storage:
– Lasts several days under the cake dome.
– If you like, you can use cream of tartar instead of baking powder for a softer dough during baking.
