Sfogliatella (Neapolitan Layered Shell Pastry with Ricotta)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
A stiff flour-and-water dough, rolled very thin, brushed with butter and wound into a tight log, gives this Neapolitan pastry its layers.
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Slices of the log are pushed open into shells and filled with ricotta, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. In the oven the butter separates the layers so the outside shatters like glass. Cut the chilled log with one straight-down stroke so the layers on the cut face are not crushed.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
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.
- 4
If the 180 g ricotta looks watery, drain it lightly first.
Mix it with 70 g sugar, 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon orange zest until evenly combined.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
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