The maritozzo is a classic. And like all classics, the recipe has been revisited by many pastry chefs across Italy. In Milan, the maritozzo it has even become trendy, with its own national holiday (#MaritozzoDay) and by now, it has been cleared through customs well beyond the borders of the capital. A delicious reinterpretation can be tasted in Avellino, at the most famous pastry shop in the city: Dolciarte. This pastry shop has at least two very special elements: It's avant-garde in Avellino (which is not exactly the fashion district) and the pastry chef is a woman, Carmen Vecchione. She opened her pastry shop in 2008, together with her brother Stefano, after studying Economics in college and an experience with chef Lino Scarallo. Her style is modern, she loves to experiment, and the ingredients are of the highest quality, with a careful eye on the territory of origin – Irpinia. Known for her panettone, which she churns out year-round, Vecchione is a top-of-class liqueurist. The same goes for her croissants (and maritozzo), as well as a well-stocked selection of biscuits that attract customers. At breakfast, there’s a constant queue for the most coveted items, such as the cocoa maritozzo, which fly off the shelves like bread. And thanks to its cafeteria and the seating in the back, you can take a seat and browse magazines or choose from the well-stocked library in the shop.
The maritozzo Carmen makes is based on the classic recipe – with cocoa in the dough, whipped cream as a filling and if desired, a spread of pistachio praline. It’s a perfect recipe, really.
Carmen Vecchione’s cocoa maritozzo recipe
Ingredients for the brioche:
2 lb flour, 3 ½ oz cocoa powder, ¾ cup water, 13 oz whole milk, 7 oz sourdough starter, 7 oz sugar, 7 oz butter, 3 ½ oz mandarin paste, 1 oz salt
Method:
Dissolve the cocoa powder in the water and set aside. Mix milk and eggs together with the sourdough starter. Soften, then add the flour and the cocoa powder with water. Knead in a stationary mixer until smooth, then add the sugar and knead for another 10 minutes. Add the mandarin paste, butter and salt. Continue kneading in the stationary mixer until elastic. Let rise in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Form dough balls of 70-80 g and let them rise once more at room temperature. Bake at 320°F (160°C) for 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients for the pistachio praline:
11 oz pistachios, 6 oz sugar, ½ cup water
Toast the pistachios in the oven at 250°F (120°C) for 30 minutes. Once toasted, add the pistachios, sugar and water to a non-stick pan. Stir continuously over medium heat until the pistachios are covered with the caramelized sugar. Pour onto a sheet of baking parchment and spread the pistachios apart using a spatula. Once cooled, transfer the caramelized pistachios to a blender with a sharp blade and make them into a paste.
Ingredients for the filling:
1 US quart cream with 36% fat content, 7 oz sugar
Cut the maritozzo in the center. Add a layer of pistachio praline on the bottom and fill the whole maritozzo with whipped cream.