Sfogliatella (Neapolitan Layered Shell Pastry with Ricotta)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Sfogliatella is a Neapolitan pastry built from a lean flour-and-water dough that is stretched paper-thin, brushed with butter, and rolled into a tight cylinder to create hundreds of distinct layers.
Read more
Slices of this cylinder are opened into a shell shape, filled with a mixture of ricotta cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest, then baked at high heat. In the oven, the butter between each layer turns to steam and forces the sheets apart, producing an exterior that shatters audibly at the first bite. Inside, the ricotta filling softens to a warm, fragrant cream with citrus and spice notes that contrast beautifully with the crisp shell. The thinner the dough is stretched before rolling, the more pronounced the layered effect becomes - professional bakers aim for near-transparency. Overfilling is the most common cause of failure, as excess moisture from the ricotta can burst through the delicate layers during baking. The ideal sfogliatella emerges from a 200-degree oven deeply golden on every ridge, with a filling that is just set and still slightly creamy in the center.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Add 100 ml water gradually to 220 g bread flour and knead into a firm dough.
Work it until the surface looks smoother, then cover it well so it does not dry while resting.
- 2Season
Roll the rested dough as thin as possible, aiming for near transparency without tearing it.
Spread the 90 g unsalted butter evenly over the surface, then roll from one edge tightly so air pockets do not stay inside.
- 3Prep
Chill the rolled dough briefly until the butter firms enough to slice cleanly.
Cut it into even pieces with a sharp upright knife, pressing as little as possible so the visible layers are not crushed.
- 4Season
Mix 180 g ricotta, 70 g sugar, 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon orange zest until evenly combined.
If the ricotta looks watery, drain it lightly first so the filling will not leak during baking.
- 5Step
Push the center of each dough piece outward with your thumb to open it into a shell shape.
Add only enough filling for the edges to meet, because overfilling is the main reason the pastry bursts.
- 6Heat
Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 22-25 minutes until every ridge is deep golden and the layers look separated.
Remove when the filling is just set, then cool briefly so the shell stays crisp.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Butter-brushed and tightly wound layers of thin dough shatter on contact inside Sfogliatella.
- Finish cue
- Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 22-25 minutes until every ridge is deep golden and the layers look separated.
- Avoid this
- Avoid overfilling to prevent bursting.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
70min, 7 ingredients
Category median
55min, 8 ingredients
Based on 248 recipes
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