For dough
1 envelope dry yeast, soaked in 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
2 cups pastry flour, sifted
2 tablespoons lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chopped pine nuts or chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons seedless raisins
1 tablespoon candied orange peel, cut fine

For decoration
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon water

Soak yeast in 2 tablespoons lukewarm water 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon water, mix well and let stand in warm place 15 minutes, or until double in bulk.

Place remaining flour on pastry board, form a well in center and add yeast dough, 1 tablespoon water, salt and olive oil, kneading well to make a soft, pliable dough.

Continue to knead and when dough does not stick to board or fingers, add sugar and work in well.

Sprinkle dough with a little flour, shape into a ball and let stand, covered, in warm place 1 hour.

Return dough to floured board, add nuts, raisins and orange peel and mix well so that fruit and nuts will be well distributed.

Roll dough into a thick tube and cut into 12 slices and shape each slice into an egg-shaped ball.

Place on buttered baking sheet about 3 inches apart and let stand, covered, in warm place 3 hours, or until puffy.

Bake in very hot oven (450 degrees F.) 7 minutes.

While they are baking, mix together sugar and water.

Remove cakes from oven, brush with sugar and water mixture and return to a cooling oven for a few minutes.

Makes 12 maritozzi.

The recipe in this entry was taken from "The Talisman Italian Cook Book" by Ada Boni, translated and augmented by Matilde Pei. The original cook book, an Italian classic, was published in 1929 in Italy. The translation was published in 1950.... The following text was taken from the Italian Wikipedia (Machine google translation): "The Maritozzi is a typical cake of Lazio, in particular the city of Rome. The cake is made ​​of soft bread made ​​with pine nuts, raisins and candied orange peel and possibly cut in half, lengthwise, it is complete with whipped cream. From the custom to offer this sweet during marriage, brides receiving the sweet, nicknamed maritozzi their donors, making them derive the origin of the name....." Original Italian text: "Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera. Il maritozzo un dolce tipico del Lazio, in particolar modo della citt di Roma. Il dolce costituito da pane morbido preparato con pinoli, uva e scorzetta d'arancia candita e eventualmente tagliato in due, per lungo, lo si completa con panna montata. Dall'usanza di offrire questo dolce nei periodi matrimoniali, le future spose che ricevevano il dolce, soprannominavano maritozzi i loro donatori, cosi da farne derivare l'origine del nome...." Photo: Mary Melfi

Back to main list