Did you think that only French make croissants? Well, the Italians do too! Our favorite bar breakfast is “cappuccino and brioche.” Especially in Rome, Cornetto is as iconic as the Colosseum.
So, if you want to impress your friends, don’t buy the croissants – make them fresh! It’s not an easy recipe, but with some attention – and a lot of patience – you’ll awe everyone.
Ingredients:
310g white or manitoba flour
140g “00” white flour
75g sugar
1 teaspoon of liquid honey
70g softened butter
100g milk
20g beer
7g salt
2 eggs
1/3 of orange flavor
1/3 of lemon flavor
10g vanillin
1 brewer’s yeast cube (for the “sfogliatura”)
200g butter
Start kneading the milk, the yeast, the beer, the eggs, the sugar, the honey, the flavors, the vanillin, and the sifted flours until the dough becomes smooth and soft; then add the salt and the softened butter.
Once everything is well mixed, keep kneading constantly until the dough is really smooth.
Let it sit for 20 minutes, covered with a napkin, then powder a large cup with some flour and transfer the dough, in a ball shape, into it. Cover it with some cooking film and let it sit, room temperature, for 2 hours. Then put the cup in the fridge and wait 24 hours!
The next day, you can prepare the “sfogliature.” Take the 200g of butter out of the fridge, and leave it at room temperature for 3 hours (it should soften naturally). Then fold it using a clean napkin and press it until it becomes a 1-centimeter tall loaf.
Roll the dough in a round shape and put the butter loaf at its center, folding it with the dough (make four angles). Then roll again until it becomes rectangular and fold the lower third upon itself. Now, fold the upper third covering the rest of it.
Cover with film again and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Repeat this operation three times (yes, you may have a glass of wine now, but just a little bit: you’ll have to be sharp!).
Now you can roll the dough in a long, thin, rectangular shape. Then, cut it into triangles; stretch the wider part and roll them onto themselves, letting them take their peculiar shape (cornetto means “little horn”). Remember to keep the pointy end below so it won’t detach while cooking.
Put them in the baking tray and let them sit until they double their volume. It may take more than two hours for them to expand, so go out to dinner, or better: let them sit all night long, so the morning after, you’ll have the most amazing breakfast!
Paint the raw cornetti with some egg yolk, heat the oven up to 170° and bake them for about 25 minutes.
Then you can cover them with powdered sugar or brown sugar, and once they’re not super hot, you can fill them with cream or jam or chocolate, and enjoy your great Italian breakfast!
Learn more about Italian food by joining a Fat Tire Tour in Milan, Florence, or Rome!
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