Pasticciotti leccesi are a typical sweet from my beautiful Puglia. The pasticciotto is a pastry made with shortcrust dough filled with pastry cream (classic, with sour cherry, pistachio, lemon, ricotta, etc.). I’m sure anyone who has been to Puglia, specifically Salento, must have tasted the legendary pasticciotti. There’s no specific time of day to enjoy them, but they’re good anytime, especially at breakfast to start the day off right. In this recipe I present the ingredients as tradition dictates: the shortcrust made with lard and baking ammonia, while for the filling I chose lemon cream. You just have to try and taste them!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 cups type 00 flour
- 1 1/8 cups lard
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs eggs
- the tip of a teaspoon of baker's ammonia
- lemon zest
- lemon pastry cream
Tools
12 pasticciotto molds
Procedure
First of all prepare the cream and let it cool covered with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the cream.
In the planetary mixer put the sugar and the lard at room temperature, start the machine and blend well.
Then add the eggs and incorporate them well.
Now add the flour, the baking ammonia and the lemon zest; knead just long enough to incorporate the flour, without incorporating too much air. When ready, pour the dough onto a work surface, smooth it, then wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
After the resting time, take the dough out of the fridge, cut it in two and shape the first piece into a sausage from which you will cut pieces about 2–2 3/8 inches long.
At this point take a piece and flatten it with the palm of your hand; the thickness should be about 0.20 inches.
Take the mold and, without greasing it, line it with the dough letting the pastry hang over the edges.
Fill a piping bag with the cream and fill the pasticciotti, then cover with another slightly thinner layer of dough and seal the edges by pressing with your fingers, removing the excess pastry.
Now let the pasticciotti rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Before baking, brush with an egg yolk and a splash of milk.
Place in a preheated static oven at 428°F for 7–8 minutes; they should be golden. If cracks form, that’s normal. Let them cool well and then remove them from the molds.
Tip
The original recipe calls for lard; I do not recommend substituting it with butter because it changes the texture and flavor of the shortcrust.
Storage
You can store the pasticciotti at room temperature for a couple of days; in hotter periods it is preferable to keep them in the refrigerator. If you prefer, you can prepare the dough the day before, keep it refrigerated covered with plastic wrap and take it out when you decide to make them.
