Imagine pillowy soft buns filled to their max with vanilla-scented, fresh whipped cream and a cup of espresso to start the day. Maritozzi are a uniquely Roman treat that is a hugely popular breakfast item across the city. This treat may sound new to you, but it has roots all the way back to the Middle Ages of Rome.
Starting with an enriched dough similar to brioche, maritozzi buns are enriched with whole milk, eggs, and olive oil. This yeasted dough is given plenty of time to rise and then portioned into small, slightly elongated rolls like a mini football. Once baked, they are split down the middle and filled to the brim with freshly made whipped cream. After cooling of course.
While originally filled with things like raisins, pine nuts, and candied orange peel, this version keeps it simple with a little orange zest in the dough and filled with homemade whipped cream. These days, if you walk through Rome, you’ll find maritozzi filled with all manner of options from sweet to savory and served at all times of the day and not just for breakfast.
Even though they look sweet and rich, a maritozzo tastes quite light and just filling enough. The super soft and tender buns are lightly sweetened, and the cream filling makes them taste like a creamy cloud. This is an Italian treat that is highly recommended to be tried.
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📜 Maritozzi History
As mentioned before, maritozzi have a history in Rome dating all the way back to the Middle Ages. One of the major reasons this pastry became so popular is thanks to the Roman Catholic Church, because it was allowed to be eaten during Lent, when fasting usually disallowed such treats. These were older versions of course, without the cream. They tended to be larger loaves sweetened with raisins, honey, and candied orange peels and maybe pine nuts within.
A maritozzo bun gets its name from the Italian word “marito”, which means husband. One of the legends states that a prospective husband would give their bride-to-be a maritozzo with a ring or other special, hidden item baked into it as a surprise. They also became symbols of love exchanged between couples on the first Friday of March. The name and these traditions became popular in the 1800s.
Since 2017, Rome officially has a Maritozzo Day that is celebrated on the first Saturday of December as well. Bakers give away or charge very little for all manner of creative and traditional maritozzi creations.
🥘 Ingredients
The bread itself is like a French brioche but uses olive oil instead of butter and a little optional citrus zest. The whipped cream needs only 4 ingredients and comes together quickly.
Flour – Bread flour works best here to soak up all the liquids while staying tender and soft. All-purpose flour can be used instead if that’s all you use though.
Milk – Any milk can be used here, but whole milk gives the best flavor and texture to the maritozzi. Heavy whipping cream is also used for the whipped cream.
Yeast – Active dry or instant yeast can be used here. I use instant yeast, but I still bloom it, which I always recommend doing. It’s much better to find out if your yeast is dead a few minutes in, instead of using all your ingredients and waiting an hour or two to realize it was no good.
Eggs – Two large eggs at room temperature help to enrich the dough.
Olive Oil – The olive oil adds extra moisture and fat to enrich the dough in place of the butter usually used in most enriched breads.
Sugar – Just a bit of granulated white sugar to add sweetness and help feed the yeast while blooming. Use more for the whipped cream as well.
Honey – A touch of honey for flavor and sweetness.
Citrus Zest – Optional, but a little bit of orange or lemon zest adds a great flavor to the maritozzi buns.
Salt – A pinch of salt in both the bread and the whipped cream to balance the sweetness.
Vanilla Extract – I use a bit of vanilla in both the maritozzi bread dough and the whipped cream for a nice balance in both.
🔪 How to Make
Start by proofing the yeast. In a liquid measuring cup, heat the milk until warm (about 100°F / 38°C), add a pinch of sugar and the yeast and stir together. Set aside to bloom for about 10 minutes. If the yeast and milk are bubbly and frothy looking after 8-10 minutes, the yeast is good, and you can begin making the dough.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, add the eggs, olive oil, sugar, honey, citrus zest, and vanilla extract. Using a fork, or a mixer on low speed, scramble the eggs and mix everything together until the sugar has dissolved. Now add the milk and yeast mixture and mix again for a few seconds.
If using a stand mixer, switch in the dough hook and add most of the flour, reserving roughly half a cup or so. Start at stir speed until most of the flour has been incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Now sprinkle the salt over the dough and add the remaining flour, start slowly again and then raise the speed to low and allow the dough to knead for another 8 minutes or so.
The dough will still be a little sticky after kneading but avoid adding more flour or the buns will end up dense and dry. If it feels way too sticky, try kneading by hand for another minute or two with just a light dusting of flour. Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough, turning to coat every side and set in a warm, draft-free area to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
Once doubled, punch down the dough and turn it out onto your counter. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. If you have a scale, which I recommend, I think my dough was about 800g, so I made 10 pieces about 80 grams each. Take each piece of dough and push your fingers under the dough towards you until a smooth top forms and pinch the bottom together. Cover again and let rest for about 10 minutes. This lets the gluten relax some before shaping the maritozzi.
After resting, take one of the dough balls and turn it seam side up and press it down flat. Press and stretch the dough until you have a disc roughly 4 inches in diameter. Now roll it up tightly and pinch the seams to seal and pinch the ends closed, fold them over and pinch to seal as well. Turn the cylinder seam side down and roll back and forth to make an even cylinder about 5 inches long. Repeat with the rest and set on two parchment lined baking sheets. Cover once again and allow to rise for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C. Once the maritozzi are finished rising again (they probably won’t fully double again, so don’t worry), place the baking sheets on the lower and upper racks and bake for 10-15 minutes. While the buns are baking, make a simple syrup. In a small saucepan, add a ¼ cup sugar and a ¼ cup water, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Keep stirring as it heats up and once it comes to a boil, remove from the heat, and set aside. After the first 6 minutes, turn and rotate the baking sheets. Remove from the oven when the tops are just starting to brown (mine took about 12 minutes).
After you remove the buns from the oven, use a pastry brush or basting brush to apply the simple syrup to the tops of each bun while they’re hot. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting and adding whipped cream.
After the buns have cooled, make the whipped cream. In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add the cold heavy cream and begin mixing at low speed. Slowly increase the speed to high while mixing. When the cream just starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and salt, and continue mixing at high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks.
With a serrated knife, cut each of the maritozzi buns down the middle of the tops, almost, but not all the way through (think hot dog bun, but on top instead of sides). Hold wide open with one hand and spoon the whipped cream in with your other hand. Add more than you think it can hold, then with the flat side of a knife or an offset spatula, clean the extra whipped cream off the top and make the cream layer even with the top of the buns. Optionally dust the tops of each bun with powdered sugar by placing some in a small mesh strainer and tapping it over the maritozzi.
Once finished, serve fresh.
📖 Alternative Toppings
As mentioned before, an earlier version of maritozzi was typically made with raisins, pine nuts, and candied citrus peels in the bun. When it comes to modern maritozzi though, there are tons of variations to be found.
This recipe is more of a classic, basic version that showcases the bun and the fresh whipped cream filling that you can find all over Rome. Some places serve a lot of different versions though these days, including savory kinds.
Some of the more common variations include toppings or fillings.
Toppings – After making the maritozzo, you can top the whipped cream with things like candied citrus peels, pistachios, chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, other nuts, etc.
Fillings – The fillings are usually added into the sliced bun underneath the whipped cream. Some popular fillings include chocolate ganache, curds, custards, jams, or preserves. Kind of the same things you’d find a doughnut filled with.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
You may have noticed both spellings being used here and in other websites discussing this pastry. Technically it’s both. In Italian, ending a word with -i or -o usually denotes singular or plural. So maritozzo refers to a single pastry, while maritozzi refers to the plural (think spaghetti: one single pasta noodle is a spaghetti).
While traditionally eaten for breakfast with a cup of espresso, these days maritozzi can be enjoyed any time of day and include both sweet and savory versions.
If you fill them all with whipped cream, you’ll want to keep them cold. Otherwise, you can keep whipped cream in a sealed container in the refrigerator and the buns at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
While best made and eaten on the same day, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. The powdered sugar will dissolve into the buns and whipped cream quickly after being made though. I wouldn’t recommend freezing.
📋 Recipe
Maritozzi con la Panna
Ingredients
For the Buns:
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast, 1 packet
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, or lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the Simple Syrup:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
For the Whipped Cream:
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Make the Buns:
- Start by proofing the yeast. In a liquid measuring cup, heat ¾ cup whole milk until warm (about 100°F / 38°C), add a pinch of sugar and the packet of yeast and stir together. Set aside to bloom for about 10 minutes. If the yeast and milk are bubbly and frothy looking after 8-10 minutes, the yeast is good, and you can begin making the dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, add the 2 eggs, ¼ cup of olive oil, 3 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 teaspoons of orange (or lemon) zest, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Using a fork, or a mixer on low speed, scramble the eggs and mix everything together until the sugar has dissolved. Now add the milk and yeast mixture and mix again for a few seconds.
- If using a stand mixer, switch in the dough hook and add most of the 3 ½ cups of bread flour, reserving roughly half a cup or so. Start at stir speed until most of the flour has been incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Now sprinkle the 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt over the dough and add the remaining flour, start slowly again and then raise the speed to low and allow the dough to knead for another 8 minutes or so.
- The dough will still be a little sticky after kneading but avoid adding more flour or the buns will end up dense and dry. If it feels way too sticky, try kneading by hand for another minute or two with just a light dusting of flour. Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough, turning to coat every side and set in a warm, draft-free area to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Once doubled, punch down the dough and turn it out onto your counter. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. If you have a scale, which I recommend, I think my dough was about 800g, so I made 10 pieces about 80 grams each. Take each piece of dough and push your fingers under the dough towards you until a smooth top forms and pinch the bottom together. Cover again and let rest for about 10 minutes. This lets the gluten relax some before shaping the maritozzi.
- After resting, take one of the dough balls and turn it seam side up and press it down flat. Press and stretch the dough until you have a disc roughly 4 inches in diameter. Now roll it up tightly and pinch the seams to seal and pinch the ends closed, fold them over and pinch to seal as well. Turn the cylinder seam side down and roll back and forth to make an even cylinder about 5 inches long. Repeat with the rest and set on two parchment lined baking sheets. Cover once again and allow to rise for another 45 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C. Once the maritozzi are finished rising again (they probably won’t fully double again, so don’t worry), place the baking sheets on the lower and upper racks and bake for 10-15 minutes. While the buns are baking, make a simple syrup. In a small saucepan, add a ¼ cup sugar and a ¼ cup water, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Keep stirring as it heats up and once it comes to a boil, remove from the heat, and set aside. After the first 6 minutes, turn and rotate the baking sheets. Remove from the oven when the tops are just starting to brown (mine took about 12 minutes).
- After you remove the buns from the oven, use a pastry brush or basting brush to apply the simple syrup to the tops of each bun while they’re hot. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting and adding whipped cream.
Make the Whipped Cream:
- After the buns have cooled, make the whipped cream. In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add the 2 ½ cups of cold heavy cream and begin mixing at low speed. Slowly increase the speed to high while mixing. When the cream just starts to thicken, add ⅓ cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and continue mixing at high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks.
- With a serrated knife, cut each of the maritozzi buns down the middle of the tops, almost, but not all the way through (think hot dog bun, but on top instead of sides). Hold wide open with one hand and spoon the whipped cream in with your other hand. Add more than you think it can hold (about a ½ cup), then with the flat side of a knife or an offset spatula, clean the extra whipped cream off the top and make the cream layer even with the top of the buns. Optionally dust the tops of each bun with powdered sugar by placing some in a small mesh strainer and tapping it over the maritozzi.
- Once finished, serve fresh.
Sam Neill says
I am retired and have taking up baking , found your recipe friends and family love it ,gave two to my grandson he thought I bought them in local bakery .
Chris Pezzana says
Nice, that's always a great compliment when someone thinks you bought them at a bakery. I'm glad to hear your family enjoyed these. Hope you find some other baked goods on here to try out as well, thanks Sam!