The Christmas Graffette are a reinterpretation of the classic Neapolitan graffe you find in every café/pastry shop across the country and that are generally eaten for breakfast or as a snack at any time of day. The original recipe calls for the addition of potatoes, brewer’s yeast and eggs and, if they are not prepared in advance and allowed to rise for a long time, they can often be heavy and hard to digest. Today, however, I want to offer you an alternative and quicker way to enjoy the graffe, enriched with the scent of vanilla, orange and Strega liqueur!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Christmas Graffette Ingredients
- 400 cups Manitoba flour (about 3 1/3 cups (approx. 14 oz))
- 10 g fresh yeast (about 0.35 oz (≈1 tsp active dry))
- 60 tbsp butter (about 4 tbsp (1/4 cup, ~2.1 oz))
- 150 ml water (about 5 fl oz (≈5/8 cup or 10 tbsp))
- 30 tbsp sugar (about 2 1/2 tbsp (≈1.1 oz))
- 2 eggs
- 1 packet vanillin (vanilla powder)
- 1 orange zest (zest of 1 orange)
- 2 tbsp liqueur (Strega)
- as needed vegetable oil (for frying)
- as needed sugar (for coating)
Tools
- Cookie cutters
Christmas Graffette Steps
To prepare these super-soft Christmas graffette, first:
In a bowl, weigh the flour and make a well in the center; add the fresh yeast dissolved in the water.
Then add the eggs, the sugar, the Strega liqueur, the grated orange zest, the vanillin and a pinch of salt.
Begin to knead and when the ingredients start to come together, add the butter as well.
Move to a work surface and knead until you obtain a smooth, elastic dough.
Place the dough in a bowl, cover it and leave it to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Roll out the dough and cut it with the Christmas cookie cutters you have chosen.
Place the graffette on a baking sheet lined with lightly floured parchment paper, cover with a cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes.
After the resting time, fry the graffette in plenty of hot vegetable oil until golden brown.
Lift them out with a slotted spoon and roll them in granulated sugar.
Serve warm and… enjoy!
I recommend preparing the graffette and enjoying them warm. However, they can be kept in a container and reheated in the microwave to preserve softness until the next morning.
