Maritozzi are slightly elongated ‘paninetti,’ typical of Italy’s capital city, Rome, and characterized by a soft and sweet dough made with olive oil, sugar, pine nuts, raisins and some candied orange peel. These are actually called ‘maritozzi del fornaio’ (translating to ‘baker’s husbands’ in English), as the famous gastronome Luigi Carnacina calls them in his book “Rome in the Kitchen” – a book that features a very special introduction in which Carnacina incredibly manages to condense the entire history of Italian cuisine, from Romulus and Remus to the palate of the twentieth century, into a few very well written pages.
Going back to the maritozzi, though; these pastries were historically made only during Lent. Every Friday in March, boyfriends would give these maritozzi to their loved ones – especially from husbands to their wives. The name comes from this beautiful tradition.
Then came the gourmet versions – also made with eggs and brushed, once baked, with a thick vanilla syrup, meant to be eaten with whipped cream. Today pastry chefs all over Italy follow their passion and fantasy when re-inventing this special recipe – from savory fillings made from scrambled eggs and bacon to fillings made with broccoli and sausage or even beef tartare…
The maritozzi made by our very own chef Emanuele Frigerio are inspired by the gourmet version of the recipe, but with small variations: butter instead of oil (the Northern version, closer to a pan brioche), freshly grated orange peel instead of candied fruit, and no pine nuts or raisins. Filled with cream and the addition of mascarpone cheese; beer syrup instead of vanilla; brushed on the inside, not on the surface.
Beware of your flour selection, however; choose a flour rich in gluten like Manitoba flour, which can be used for a more resistant dough that can rise well even when it’s ‘weighed down’ since it contains eggs, butter, milk and sugar.
Don't worry if the dough seems a bit too sticky at the end. That’s fine – you don’t need to add any more flour, we promise. That would make it too dry and once baked, too dense and not as soft as it should be.
Don't rush the leavening process – especially for the second leavening, that takes at least 45 minutes to double in volume depending on room temperature.
Make sure to quickly brush the maritozzi before filling them. If you soak them too much, you risk breaking them.
Text by Maria Vittoria Della Cia, managing editor at La Cucina Italiana