Maritozzi are little round soft and fluffy, brioche-style buns, filled with vanilla whipped cream. These sweet, yeasted Italian cream buns taste are totally irresistible.
2tablespoonscaster sugar (superfine sugar)(8 tsp, see notes 1)
TOPPING
Icing sugar (powdered sugar) for dusting
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
heavy based saucepan
stand mixer
Bowl scraper
large baking sheet
Hand mixer
Instructions
Make the starter: Add the water and flour to a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Place of low-medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until you have very thick roux (thick paste). Remove from heat and set aside.
Bloom the yeast: Add the warm milk, yeast and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer and mix a little. Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom.
(Keep in mind this is a very sticky dough and will be best made in a mixer. If you do try it by hand, don’t be tempted to add too much flour and use a bench scraper to help.)
Create the dough: Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed (you mainly don’t want the salt to touch the yeast directly). Add the tangzhong to the opposite side of the bowl to the eggs in case it’s still a bit hot. Make sure to use a rubber spatula so you don’t leave any behind.
Knead: Using the dough hook, start on low speed just until the ingredients are combined. Turn it up to level 2 and knead the dough for around 8 minutes. The dough at the end will still be quite sticky and sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Add a splash of oil to a large clean bowl and rub it around the sides. Rub a little of the oil over your hands and over the rounded edge of a dough scraper so the dough is easier to handle.
Rise: Scrape around the bowl to pull the dough into a ball, then lift it out with your hands and roughly fold it into a ball. Place into the oil bowl and flip to lightly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rest and allow to rise for 1 hour to rise until about doubled in size.
Portion the dough: Punch down the dough then roll 12 even balls from it. If you weigh the dough, then divide that by 12, then weigh each portion before rolling you’ll get even sized buns (mine are roughly around 90g each).
Shape the buns: To roll the dough into buns, place a portion in the palm of one hand and use the fingertips of the other to pinch in the sides over and over until it’s round and smooth on the palm side. If you find the dough is sticking to your hands, just dip your fingertips in the oil in the bowl it was rising in and it will stop it sticking to your hands.
2nd Rise: Place them smooth side up on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper. Let them rise until puffy and almost doubled in size again.
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F.
Bake: Brush the rolls all over with egg wash making sure to get right around the sides. Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning the tray at the halfway point, until puffed up and deep golden brown. Don’t overbake or they’ll dry out. The internal temperature should reach 87C /188F.
FOR THE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM:Once the buns have cooled, beat the cream, vanilla and sugar in a large mixing bowl (with an electric mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment.
Start your beater on the low speed so that cream doesn’t splatter everywhere. Gradually increase to medium speed, keeping an eye on the consistency. As it gets very thick, turn it down to low and check regularly, until stiff peaks form.
ASSEMBLING THE BUNS:Slice straight down through the centre of each bun about 2/3 of the way down leaving a thick hinge at the bottom.
Fill each one with cream and use a bench scraper or spatula flat to the top to scrape away the excess and any lines along the top of the bun.
Dust the buns with icing sugar and serve. Optionally, you can roll them in things like crushed nuts, almond or hazelnut praline or shaved chocolate. Even freeze dried berry powder is lovely.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.