Buccellato: A Traditional Sicilian Sweet Dish For Your Christmas holidays

The buccellato is a traditional Sicilian sweet prepared during the Christmas holidays. It is a crumbly pastry ring filled with dried fruit, and is incredibly rich and substantial. Although not overly complicated, the recipe requires careful attention to several steps

For the pastry:

• 375 grams of type 00 flour
• 177 grams of sugar
• 177 grams of lard
• 3 grams of ammonium bicarbonate
• 2 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 75 grams of dried figs
• 75 grams of toasted almonds
• 25 grams of toasted walnuts
• 0.5 grams of cinnamon
• 38 grams of dark chocolate
• 7.5 grams of cocoa powder
• 12.5 grams of soaked raisins
• 32 grams of honey
• 32 grams of apricot jam without pieces

For decoration:

• pistachio granules
• candied cherries
• candied oranges
• apricot jam

EXECUTION: MEDIUM

PREPARATION TIME: 40 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes - 45 minutes

SOAKING TIME: 15 minutes - 20 minutes

REST TIME: 2 hours

PORTIONS: 6 – 8

The recipe for buccellato is typical of Sicilian Christmas, a donut-shaped dessert with a filling rich in ingredients and a spicy flavor, with a very scenic appearance.

Preparing it is not difficult, but it requires some time as three steps must be followed: preparing the pastry, which has a particular dough that includes lard and a pinch of ammonia to enhance its compactness. The filling is made with dried fruit, chocolate, cocoa, cinnamon, honey, and apricot jam. Finally, the final decoration is not just aesthetic, but it also contributes to conferring the characteristic flavor of buccellato thanks to the candied fruit, pistachios, and apricot jam.

A traditional dessert with all the qualities to be the protagonist on the table during the holiday season! If you enjoy trying regional Christmas recipes, we suggest trying also the Tuscan Panforte, the Neapolitan Mustaccioli, or the Zelten from Trentino-Alto Adige.

 Step 1:

To make buccellato, start by preparing the pastry. In a stand mixer, sift the flour and ammonia, incorporate the lard, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt, and start working the pastry with the paddle attachment.

Step 2:

Transfer the dough onto a work surface and quickly knead the ingredients with your hands until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Wrap it all in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour while you focus on the filling. Begin by coarsely cutting the walnuts and almonds and pour them into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3:

Soak the dried figs in a bowl of hot water for 15-20 minutes. After the time has passed, drain them and cut them into small pieces. Add the figs, raisins, cocoa, cinnamon, jam, and honey to the almonds and walnuts.

Step 4:

Coarsely chop the chocolate, add it to the other ingredients, and mix everything thoroughly. Put the filling in the fridge and let it rest for 1 hour.

Step 5:

Take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out to a thickness of at least 5 mm, giving it the shape of a rectangle. Carefully transfer it onto the baking paper and place the filling in the center of the rectangle for the entire length.

Step 6:

Roll up the shortcrust pastry and filling to create a cylinder and carefully transfer it onto a baking tray, forming a ring. Then join the two ends by brushing them with water.

Step 7:

Using a special tool or a fork, create the typical "merlatura" of the Buccellato. You can create the design by making shallow incisions, as shown in the image. Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes.

Step 8:

Remove from the oven and let it cool. Once the Buccellato has cooled, brush it with a lightly diluted apricot jam. For the final decoration, prepare the candied fruit by cutting the oranges into slices.

Step 9:

Before serving the Buccellato, decorate as desired with candied fruit and chopped pistachios.