The MARRITOZZI WITH WHIPPED CREAM are without a doubt the quintessential Roman sweet. Made with few ingredients, they resemble soft little rolls, sliced in half and filled most often with whipped cream or custard.
The history of the maritozzo dates back to Roman times. There were small loaves sweetened by adding honey and raisins, a substantial and nourishing meal that combined goodness with practicality, prepared by wives for their husbands.
From this “little sandwich” probably derived the maritozzo, whose original recipe indeed included the addition of raisins.
It seems the name comes from a playful deformation of “marito” (husband), and this may be linked to the tradition that it became a good-luck gift that a boyfriend gave to his fiancée on the first Friday of March, a tradition now associated with St. Valentine’s Day.
In that case the pastry would have a sugar decoration on top representing two pierced hearts and sometimes would hide a ring or a small gold object.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (type 0)
- 1 cup milk (warm)
- 0.42 oz fresh baker's yeast (or 0.14 oz (4 g) active dry yeast)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 6 tbsp butter (softened)
- lemon zest
- orange zest
- 1/3 tsp salt
- as needed milk
- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream (liquid)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
For the maritozzi with cream you will need
- 1 Stand mixer
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Grater
- 1 Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- 1 Work surface
- Hand mixer (whisks)
Preparation of maritozzi with whipped cream
The preparation of the MARRITOZZI WITH WHIPPED CREAM is fairly simple but does require some time for the several leavening stages.
First dissolve the yeast and the honey in the warm milk. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a large bowl, place the flour, sugar, the egg and the milk with the yeast.
Knead for 10 minutes until all the ingredients are combined.
Add the citrus zests and the softened butter little by little. Work the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
At the end add the salt and incorporate it.
Form a ball, place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled, in a switched-off oven with the light on.
When the first rise is complete, turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into 8 pieces of about 4 oz (115 g) each (you can make them smaller if you prefer). Make a few folds, then shape them into smooth balls and form an oval shape.
Transfer the maritozzi to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced well apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1 hour.
After the second rise, brush each maritozzo with the milk.
Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F for 15–16 minutes, or until golden.Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely on a rack.
Fill them with whipped cream only at the moment of serving (not before) and dust with powdered sugar.
