Vegan Neapolitan Sfogliatelle, Reinterpreted | Sfogliatelle Ricce Vegane Rivisitate
The sfogliatella riccia is the emblem of the Neapolitan pastry shop: a shell-shaped pastry made of dozens of paper-thin layers that crackle like dry leaves, wrapped around a warm filling of semolina, ricotta, candied citrus and cinnamon. The Neapolitan original is made with lard, milk, sheep's milk ricotta and egg yolks; this vegan version is a reinterpretation that keeps the shape, the sound and the perfume of the original and changes only what must change. The lard between the layers is replaced by a blend of plant shortening and plant butter, and the sheep's milk ricotta of the filling by a smooth cashew ricotta, held together by the semolina alone. It is a demanding pastry that takes two days, but the steps are precise and repeatable, and the reward is the real crackle of Naples at the first bite.
Yield: about 16 sfogliatelle. Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes. Rest: 12 hours for the dough, 4 hours for the rolled cylinder. Course: dessert or breakfast pastry. Region: Campania.
The Story
Tradition places the birth of the sfogliatella in a convent on the Amalfi Coast. The story told in Campania says that in the seventeenth century a nun of the convent of Santa Rosa, in Conca dei Marini, above the sea between Amalfi and Positano, used leftover semolina cooked in milk, dried fruit and a little liqueur to fill a pastry of thin layered dough, shaping it like a monk's hood. The nuns sold the pastries through the convent's wheel to passing travelers. That first pastry, larger and filled with pastry cream and black cherries, is still made today on the coast under the name of Santarosa.
The sfogliatella reached Naples in the nineteenth century. Neapolitan tradition credits Pasquale Pintauro, a cook who opened a pastry shop on Via Toledo in the early 1800s, with transforming the convent recipe into the smaller sfogliatella known today, without the cream and the cherries. Over time two versions took shape: the riccia, the curly one with crackling layers, and the frolla, with a smooth shell of short pastry. The two share the same filling and stand side by side in every Neapolitan pastry shop.
The traditional sfogliatella is not vegan. Its traditional dough is stretched with lard between the layers, and its filling is made with semolina cooked in milk, sheep's milk ricotta and egg yolks. This recipe is a reinterpretation that replaces every element honestly. The fat becomes a blend of solid plant shortening, which gives the dry, crisp layers, and plant butter, which adds flavor and color. The semolina is cooked in water with a little sugar and salt, and the ricotta becomes a cashew ricotta, blended until thick and smooth. Because the cooked semolina sets firm on cooling, the filling needs nothing else to bind it.
In Naples the sfogliatella is eaten warm, at breakfast, standing at the counter of the bar with an espresso, or on Sunday morning, carried home in a paper tray from the pastry shop. It is one of the pillars of Campania's pastry, beside the babà and the pastiera. This recipe follows the Neapolitan method step by step and adds the measurements and temperatures that make a home result reliable.
Ingredients
The dough needs a strong flour with a high protein content, 13 to 14 percent, such as Italian flour type 0 for long-rising doughs or American bread flour: it must stretch until almost transparent without tearing. For the fat, use a solid, non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening and a plant butter in a block, both at soft room temperature so they spread like a paste. Choose candied orange peel in whole pieces, not small cubes in syrup, and dice it yourself. Use fine durum wheat semolina, semola rimacinata or fine semolina for puddings, never coarse couscous semolina.
For the dough
Strong bread flour, 13 to 14 percent protein, 3 1/3 cups (450 g)
Granulated sugar, 2 tbsp (25 g)
Fine sea salt, 1 1/2 tsp (9 g)
Water, cold, 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (210 ml)
For the layers
Solid vegetable shortening, non-hydrogenated, soft, 2/3 cup (130 g)
Plant butter in a block, at least 78 percent fat, soft, 1/3 cup (70 g)
For the cashew ricotta
Raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours and drained, 1 1/2 cups (200 g)
Water, 1/3 cup (80 ml)
Lemon juice, 1 tbsp (15 ml)
Fine sea salt, 1 pinch
For the semolina filling
Water, 1 1/4 cups (300 ml)
Granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g)
Fine sea salt, 1 pinch
Fine durum wheat semolina, 1/2 cup (90 g)
Candied orange peel, finely diced, 1/3 cup (60 g)
Ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp (1 g)
Pure vanilla extract, 1 tsp (5 ml)
Orange, zest of 1, finely grated
For finishing
Powdered sugar, for dusting, 3 tbsp (25 g)
Preparation
Step 1
Make the dough. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, the sugar and the salt, then add the cold water and knead at low speed for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is firm, smooth and very stiff, much harder than bread dough. If the mixer struggles, finish by passing the dough several times through a pasta machine at its widest setting, folding it in half each time, until it is satin smooth. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate it for 12 hours. This very low hydration is essential: a soft dough cannot be stretched into thin, separate layers that bake dry and crisp.
Step 2
Prepare the fat and the cashew ricotta. Beat the shortening and the plant butter together with a spatula until they form a smooth, spreadable paste, like soft mayonnaise, and keep it at room temperature, around 70°F (21°C). Blend the soaked cashews with the water, the lemon juice and the salt for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides, until thick and very smooth. Transfer the cashew ricotta to a bowl and refrigerate it. Soft fat spreads in a thin, even film on the stretched dough; hard fat tears it.
Step 3
Roll the dough into thin strips. Cut the rested dough in four pieces. Flatten one and pass it through a pasta machine from the widest setting down to the second thinnest, folding and rolling it twice at the widest setting first. You obtain long strips about 5 inches (13 cm) wide. Lay the first strip on a long, clean table and brush it with a thin layer of the fat paste. Keep the other pieces covered. The pasta machine replaces the long rolling pin of the Neapolitan pastry shops and gives an even thickness along the whole strip.
Step 4
Stretch and roll the cylinder. Working on the greased strip, pull it gently sideways with your fingertips from the center outward until it is twice as wide and almost transparent. Starting from a short end, roll it up tightly on itself for 2 inches (5 cm) to form the core of the cylinder. Then continue: stretch the next section of the strip, grease it, and roll the cylinder forward, keeping it tight. When one strip ends, overlap the next by 1 inch (2.5 cm), grease and continue, until all the dough is rolled into a cylinder about 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) thick. Brush the outside with fat, wrap it tightly and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours. The cold sets the fat and fixes the layers.
Step 5
Cook the semolina filling. Bring the water, the sugar and the salt to a boil in a saucepan. Pour in the semolina in a thin stream while whisking, lower the heat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring with a spatula, until very thick and pulling away from the sides. Spread it on a plate, cover it with film in contact and cool it completely. Beat the cold semolina with the cashew ricotta until smooth, then fold in the candied orange, the cinnamon, the vanilla and the orange zest. The filling should be firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Refrigerate it until shaping.
Step 6
Shape the shells. Set the oven to 400°F (200°C), conventional heat. Trim the ends of the cold cylinder and cut it into slices 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick with a sharp knife. Take one slice, grease your fingers with a little fat and press the center with both thumbs, then push outward, sliding the layers over each other from the center to the edges, to form a cone like a small trumpet about 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) long. The layers should open like a fan. Fill each cone with about 2 tbsp (40 g) of filling and press the opening gently closed. Place them on a parchment-lined tray.
Step 7
Bake. Bake the sfogliatelle for 22 to 25 minutes, until deep golden, with the outer layers lifted apart and crisp. Rotate the tray after 15 minutes. The high heat turns the water in the dough into steam, which separates the layers, while the fat between them fries each layer in place, giving the dry crackle typical of the riccia. Underbaked, the layers stay pale and leathery; take them out only when the color is even and the edges are dark golden.
Step 8
Cool briefly and dust. Leave the sfogliatelle on the tray for 10 minutes, until the filling has settled but the pastry is still warm. Dust them generously with powdered sugar through a fine sieve. The filling is very hot straight from the oven and needs a few minutes to set and to release its perfume of orange and cinnamon; the shell is at its most crisp in the first hour.
Plating
Serve the sfogliatelle warm, at about 105°F (40°C), when the filling is soft and the shell still crackles. Place one per person on a small flat plate, or two on a paper doily for a pastry tray, with the point of the shell toward the guest and the opening turned slightly to the side so the layers show.
Add no garnish: the shape, the gold of the layers and the white dusting are the presentation. In Naples the sfogliatella is eaten with the fingers, starting from the point, with a short, strong espresso. The guest should hear the layers break, then reach the soft, perfumed filling, with candied orange and cinnamon first and the clean taste of semolina at the end.
Professional Technique
The key ratio is the hydration of the dough, about 47 percent of the flour weight in water. This is far lower than bread dough, and it is what allows the dough to be rolled and stretched until transparent, then bake dry. At 55 percent the dough is easier to handle but the layers bake soft; below 45 percent it cracks in the pasta machine.
The hidden variable is the thickness of the fat film. Each layer must be completely covered but never thick: too little fat and the layers weld together in the oven, too much and the cylinder slips when it is cut and the pastry turns greasy. A brush dipped lightly in soft fat and passed once over the stretched dough gives the right film, about the thickness of a sheet of paper.
The doneness test is the sound and the color. A baked sfogliatella is deep golden with darker edges, and when you tap the shell with a fingernail it sounds dry and hollow. Break one open: the layers should separate cleanly, crisp all the way to the filling, without any soft, pale layer near the center.
Lamination and Crispness Control
The cylinder is a spiral of hundreds of turns of thin dough and fat. The tighter it is rolled, the finer and more numerous the layers in each slice. Keep the cylinder tight and straight while rolling, without air between the turns; air pockets become holes in the shell and the layers break apart while shaping.
Cold controls the shaping. The cylinder must rest at least 4 hours, until the fat is firm, so each slice can be opened into a cone with the layers sliding over each other without tearing. If the slices warm up while you work, the fat softens and the layers stick together: keep the cylinder in the refrigerator and cut only four slices at a time.
Crispness depends on heat and time. At 400°F (200°C) the water in the dough evaporates quickly and the layers set dry. Bake on a single tray in the center of the oven, never two trays at a time, because the steam from one tray softens the other.
Professional Mise en Place
Sfogliatelle are a two-day preparation. On the first day make the dough and the cashew ricotta; on the second day roll the cylinder in the morning, chill it, and shape and bake in the afternoon.
Equipment and tools
Stand mixer with dough hook, digital scale, pasta machine
Long work table, at least 4 feet (1.2 m), pastry brush
Saucepan, whisk, spatula, high-speed blender
Sharp chef's knife, two baking trays with parchment, fine sieve, oven thermometer
Prepared ahead
Dough kneaded and rested, 12 hours ahead, refrigerated
Cashews soaked and blended into ricotta, up to 2 days ahead
Semolina filling finished, up to 1 day ahead, refrigerated
Cylinder rolled, wrapped and chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days ahead
Service setup
Shaped sfogliatelle on trays, baked in batches so they arrive warm
Powdered sugar in a fine sieve
Small flat plates or paper doilies
Espresso ready to serve with them
Chef Tips
Freeze the shaped sfogliatelle. After filling, freeze them on a tray until hard and store them in a bag for up to 1 month. Bake them straight from the freezer at 400°F (200°C) for 30 to 32 minutes. This is how many pastry shops work, and it gives perfectly fresh pastries every morning.
Stretch with the backs of your hands. If the dough resists your fingertips, slide your hands under it, palms down, and pull gently outward with the knuckles. The weight of the dough helps it stretch evenly and reduces the risk of holes. A small hole is not a problem: the next layer covers it.
Grind the candied orange almost to a paste for a finer filling, or leave it in small dice for the classic texture. A drop of orange flower water in the filling recalls the perfume of the pastiera, the other great Neapolitan sweet, and suits the cinnamon well.
Use the trimmings. The ends of the cylinder, which are too small to shape, can be sliced, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and baked flat for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden. They become crisp little spirals that are perfect with coffee.
Common Mistakes
Making the dough too soft. A dough with too much water stretches easily but bakes into soft, chewy layers. Keep it stiff, at about 47 percent hydration.
Skipping the overnight rest. An unrested dough shrinks back in the pasta machine and tears when stretched. Rest it for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Using cold, hard fat. Hard fat tears the thin dough. Beat the shortening and plant butter into a soft paste at room temperature.
Rolling the cylinder loosely. Loose turns trap air and the shell falls apart when shaped. Roll tight and straight, pressing gently as you go.
Shaping a warm cylinder. Warm fat lets the layers stick together and the cone does not open. Chill the cylinder for at least 4 hours and cut a few slices at a time.
Using a loose filling. A soft filling runs out in the oven. Cook the semolina until very thick and cool it completely before mixing.
Taking them out too early. Pale sfogliatelle are soft and leathery. Bake until deep golden, with dark edges and a dry, hollow sound.
Wine Pairing
Fiano di Avellino DOCG: The great white of Irpinia, inland from Naples, with notes of hazelnut, pear and honeysuckle and a firm, mineral acidity. A Fiano with a few years of age gains roundness and nutty depth that meet the toasted layers of the shell. Serve it at about 52°F (11°C).
Greco di Tufo DOCG: Another Campanian white from the hills of Avellino, with peach, citrus peel and a slightly bitter almond finish. Its citrus notes echo the candied orange and its freshness cleans the palate after the plant fat of the layers. Serve it at about 50°F (10°C).
Moscato di Siracusa DOC: A rare sweet white of southeastern Sicily, made from Moscato Bianco grapes, with aromas of orange blossom, apricot and candied citrus. It accompanies the sfogliatella as a true dessert wine and matches the orange and cinnamon of the filling. Serve it at about 54°F (12°C).
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC: From the Aeolian Islands, a sweet Malvasia with notes of dried apricot, candied peel and almond. Its southern warmth and gentle sweetness complement the semolina and cashew ricotta without making the pastry heavy. Serve it at about 54°F (12°C).
Storage & Reheating
Sfogliatelle are best on the day they are baked. Keep them at room temperature, loosely covered with a clean cloth, for up to 1 day; do not close them in an airtight box while warm, or the layers soften. Refrigerate them only if you must keep them longer, for up to 3 days, because the filling contains cashew ricotta. Baked sfogliatelle freeze for up to 1 month, but the best way is to freeze them shaped and unbaked, as described in the Chef Tips.
To reheat, place them on a tray in an oven at 350°F (175°C) for 6 to 8 minutes from room temperature, or 10 to 12 minutes from the refrigerator, until the filling is warm and the shell crackles again. Dust them with fresh powdered sugar after reheating. Never use the microwave: it turns the layers soft and rubbery in seconds.
Nutrition
Per serving, based on 16 sfogliatelle (1 per serving):
Calories: 310 kcal
Total Fat: 15 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 190 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 39 g
Fiber: 1.5 g
Total Sugars: 13 g
Added Sugars: 12 g
Protein: 6 g
Principal micronutrients: magnesium, copper, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin
These figures are estimates, calculated on the quantities listed and rounded to the nearest whole number, assuming that only part of the fat used for brushing stays in the pastry. They vary with the size of each sfogliatella and the brands of shortening and plant butter.
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