Maritozzo – Italian Rolls Filled with Vanilla Cream

After the Bomboloni – it’s time for Maritozzo! I’ve wanted to shoot this recipe for a few years now, and here it finally happened this year. Maritozzo are soft and airy Italian rolls with a very generous filling of vanilla cream. Their texture is so fluffy and melts in your mouth, and the combination of the vanilla cream filling results in a great Hanukkah pastry, especially for those of you who prefer to avoid deep frying at home.

So, here are the hottest Italian rolls, ones whose sweet look immediately makes you want to take at least one bite, and would be great for hosting candle lighting get-together in Hanukkah. Do not let their unique look be misleading – in fact, these are very easy to make.

The secret to their softness lies in two main elements: kneading and proofing. The dough requires a long kneading of at least 12-14 minutes, during which the gluten will develop that will allow the beautiful rise. The long rise will ensure airiness, and in the end the patience will pay off – I promise!

Looking for more Hanukkah desserts? Try these: Churros with Chocolate Sauce | Homemade Donuts | Lukumades – Greek Doughnuts | Grandma’s Traditional Quick Doughnuts

Maritozzo – Italian Rolls Filled with Vanilla Cream | Photo: Natalie Levin

Airy and delicious | Photo: Natalie Levin

Great for Hanukkah | Photo: Natalie Levin

Maritozzo – Italian Rolls Filled with Vanilla Cream

For the dough:

500 grams (3 ½ cups) of all-purpose flour
11 grams (2 tsp.) active dry yeast
100 grams of soft butter (cut into cubes)
70 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
160 ml. (2/3 cup) lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the syrup:

80 ml. (1/3 cup) water
70 grams (1/3 cup) sugar

For brushing:

1 beaten egg

For the vanilla cream:

500 ml. (2 cups) very cold whipping cream
40 grams (1/3 cup) powdered sugar
30 grams (3 tablespoons) vanilla instant pudding powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For decoration:

sugar powder

Make the dough:

In a mixer bowl with a kneading attachment place flour, yeast, butter, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt and knead on low speed for 12-15 minutes until a uniform, pleasant-to-the-touch and soft dough is obtained.
Form a ball and place in a bowl. Cover and allow rising for 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in volume.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide into 2 parts.
Roll each piece into a chunky strip and cut into 6 units. You should get a total of 12 rolls.
Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place at intervals on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Cover and rise the rolls for about half an hour or until they almost double in volume.

Make the syrup:

Place water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until completely boiling.
Cook the syrup for 1-2 minutes at a strong boil for a slight reduction.
Cool completely to room temperature.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 170 Celsius degrees.
Gently brush the rolls with a little beaten egg.
Bake for 12-16 minutes or until rolls are golden on top and set to the touch.
Brush the hot rolls with the cold syrup and cool completely until they reach room temperature.

Vanilla cream:

In a mixer bowl with a whipping attachment, place cream, powdered sugar, vanilla pudding and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until a very uniform and stable cream is obtained.

Make the Maritozzo:

Cross the rolls in the center, but leave them attached at the bottom.
Using a plastic baking card, fill with cream and smooth the exposed part so that it has a uniform appearance.
If there are leftover creams on the rolls themselves – you can “clean” them with slightly wet fingers.
Garnish with powdered sugar generously and serve immediately.

The Maritozzo are at their best on the day of preparation.
The rolls can be frozen without the filling in a bag or sealed box for up to a month.
It is important not to give up the brushing with the syrup that moisturizes the rolls, glazes them lightly and gives a beautiful shine.
If you want, you can add flavors to the cream such as coffee, cinnamon, lemon or orange peel or any other flavor you like for variety.