The savory babà without leavening is a quick and tasty variation of the classic Neapolitan rustico. The main difference is the use of fast-acting leavening, which allows you to obtain a soft dough without long proofing times.
It is important to distinguish the types of leavening agents you can use. Fast pizza yeast is formulated for savory doughs such as pizzas or focaccias: it contains agents that promote rapid rising and ensure lightness and softness even during longer baking. Instant leavening for savory tarts, instead, is designed for more delicate and moist doughs, like quiches or rustic tarts: it acts more evenly, without producing overly large air pockets, maintaining compactness and tenderness during baking. The choice of leavening affects the final consistency of the babà: pizza yeast gives a lighter, airier dough, while the one for savory tarts keeps a more compact structure but still soft.
The dough can be made either in a large bundt pan about 10-11 in, or in smaller single portions, ideal for buffets or aperitifs.
If you prefer to try the classic version of the Neapolitan savory babà made with brewer’s yeast, you can find it -> HERE. Below, let’s see together what you need to prepare our savory babà with sausage and friarielli (without leavening):
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2.5 tsp sugar
- 1 packet instant fast pizza yeast
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.1 lb friarielli (broccoli rabe) (already cleaned)
- 6.3 oz smoked scamorza
- 3 sausages
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 glass white wine
- to taste crushed red pepper
Preparation
In a large skillet, heat the oil with the garlic cloves and a little crushed red pepper, then sauté the cleaned and washed friarielli until fully cooked, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, coarsely crumble the sausages, removing the casing, and cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil. Halfway through cooking, deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate, then combine the sausages with the friarielli and let everything cool.
To prepare the dough, beat the eggs in a bowl with the salt and grated Parmesan until you have a homogeneous mixture. Sift the flour into another bowl, add the yeast and sugar, and mix well.
Form a well and pour in the eggs, the milk and the oil in a thin stream. Mix vigorously until you obtain a smooth, well-blended dough, then gently fold in the friarielli with the sausages and the smoked scamorza cubes, distributing everything evenly.
Butter the bundt pan and pour in the batter, letting it rest for about 15 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 40 minutes, checking doneness with the classic skewer test: when it comes out dry, the babà will be ready.
Remove from the oven, let cool slightly and unmold carefully onto a serving platter. Serve the savory babà without leavening with sausage and friarielli warm, so as to highlight the softness of the dough and the melt of the scamorza.
Enjoy and… see you at the next recipe!
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag #ipasticcinidinina on Instagram so I can see it and share it with the community.
