La Scarcella, the recipe for the Easter Foggiano dessert

During Easter, traditional desserts are prepared in many Italian cities, and among these stands the scarcella. This Apulian dessert, together with cakes, pancakes and Taralli, represents an important gastronomic legacy, especially in southern Italy, where culinary traditions are very felt.

In the province of Foggia, Scarcella is the undisputed protagonist. Also known as “Scariella” or “Corruccolo”, he is preparing with a dough of shortcrust pastryUsually modeled in circular form, since the term “scarcella” means “donut”. Once cooked, it is covered by one white glaze and decorated with colored grainConfetti or chocolate flakes, creating a festive and lively effect. However, fantasy has no limits: there are those who give it the shape of a bunny, a dove or a basket, making them even more scenographic and creative.

How are the eggs in the scarcella?

A particular feature of the scarcella is the fact that they are inserted in the dough eggs with the shell, hard. In many cases they also come Decorated with food dyesto make the cake even more inviting and appetizing.

Not a but many recipes

As with each traditional dish, they also exist for scorcelle many recipes, It could be said that each family holds its own, with small variants compared to that considered “original”. For example, those who put colorful grain as decoration, or confetti or lamellas of almonds. Or who in the US dough half Butter and half Oil. Each version is the result of reinterpretations made over time and jealously guarded by each one. Here is our recipe, compare it with yours!

Scarcella: the recipe

Ingredients

• 300 g flour 00
• 110 g sugar
• 1 egg and 1 yolk
• ½ sachet of yeast
• 75 ml oil
• 75 ml of milk
• grated zest of an untreated lemon
• 4 boiled eggs with the shell to be inserted in the dough

For the icing

• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 album
• chocolate scales or sugared almonds
• A teaspoon of lemon juice

Procedure

1. Make a fountain With the flour and add the sugar, the yeast, the grated lemon zest and the oil. Start kneading and then united the egg, the yolk and the milk. Work the pasta well to prevent lumps from forming.
2. Divide it In three parts that you will intertwine with each other And then you will close like a donut. Work the pasta directly on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, so that then you can bake it directly without moving it more.
3. Set in the dough, at a regular distance, 4 hard eggsand bake at 180 ° for 45 minutes. Before removing the scarcella, check that its surface is golden brown.
4. For the icing Whisk the egg white very much, add the lemon juice and incorporate the icing sugar a little at a time. Pour the icing on your scarcella alone When this has cooled downAnd then decorate with grains, sugared almonds or chocolate. Shake Because the glaze solidifies in a short time and then you would no longer be able to finish the decoration.