Sicilian Bucellato

 

In the rest of Italy, Panettone and Pandoro may reign supreme at Christmas, but on the island of Sicily the undisputed king of Christmas is Buccellato.

If both the Pandoro and the Panettone are loosely based on ancient products but are actually modern in production, the Buccellato is already named in a document from the 15th century. It is the most emblematic sweet on the island along with cassata and cannoli.

The term Buccellato comes to mean "bread to distribute", that is, a bread that was made to be distributed in pieces. Although there are several cities that dispute its origin, it is most likely that it originated in the city of Palermo.

Do not confuse Buccellato with Bucellati. The first is a shortcrust pastry bagel (the one that does not rise) filled with figs and nuts, while the second refers to small bites of puff pastry filled with nuts.

Buccellato can be simple in appearance or highly decorated with candied fruits, just as the Christmas festivities deserve. It can be prepared in advance because it resists well without being altered. Plus, despite its appearance, it is very easy to prepare. If you choose to buy the shortcrust pastry already made, it is child's play. Of course, it must be noted that it is not exactly the same as the mass explained below but for a first approximation or due to lack of time it may be enough.

INGREDIENTS :

For the dough (as mentioned, it can be replaced by shortcrust pastry)

• 600 g (1.32 lb) all purpose wheat flour
• 180 grams (6.35 oz) of sugar
• 200 g (7 oz)lard
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml of milk (half a cup)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon honey

for the filling

• 500 g (1.1 lb) dried figs
• 50 g (1.8 oz) almonds
• 50 grams (1.8 oz) of raisins
• Zest of the peel of 1 orange
• Zest of the skin of 1 tangerine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Half a cup of Marsala wine*
• 50 g (1.8 oz) of pumpkin or candied orange (for decoration)

* Marsala wine is typical of the region but can be replaced with Port or Sherry

First we are going to prepare the dough.

We mix the sifted flour, sugar and a pinch of salt (the dry ingredients). Add the eggs, honey and butter and beat well.

Then we add the milk little by little, just enough to combine everything and obtain a firm and homogeneous mixture. We knead for about 10 minutes.

We form a ball, wrap it in transparent film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

While the dough rests, we are going to make the filling,

We chop the dried figs and place them in a saucepan along with the Marsala wine (or whatever you have, as long as it is a fortified type). We let them rest so they can rehydrate with the wine.

Chop all the nuts on the list. We also soak the raisins in the same wine for at least 20 minutes.

We zest the lemon and the orange and combine them in a bowl with all the filling ingredients (except the honey) and mix well. We already have the filling.

We take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out until it forms a long, thin strip (the width is about 10 cm, 4 inches). We pour the filling in the center.

We roll the dough into cylinders and join the ends to obtain a ring.

We make cuts on the surface to obtain uniform indentations through which the filling will be visible. We transfer the buccellato to the oven preheated to 180°C (356 F) for about 40 minutes or until golden.

Melt the honey in the microwave and brush it on the cake when it just comes out of the oven. We decorate with the pumpkin or candied orange by sticking it in the previously made indentations, but you can also use cherries, for example.

It is incredibly good and as you can see, very easy to prepare.

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