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.
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.
Notes
1) Whole Milk – You can use other milks here, but whole milk makes the best tasting and textured enriched breads in my experience. I have not tried this recipe with non-dairy milks, but they should be ok to use.2) Bread Flour – I’ve made these with both bread and all-purpose flour and either one will work. Bread flour does give the best texture and airiness to the bread, however.3) Yeast & Rising Times – 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.As for rising times, you want to look for the dough to have basically doubled in size. How long that takes depends on a lot of factors from the type of yeast you use, the temperature and humidity of your home, and even altitude. The rise times given are normal ranges, but they can vary.