Sfogliatelle Ricce

1. Make the dough: Mix bread flour, semolina flour, and kosher salt together in a large bowl. Mix in water and honey; the dough will be very dry, like pasta. If there is still dry flour after a few minutes of mixing, add up to 2 teaspoons more water to ensure all flour is moistened.

2. Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth, firm, and not tacky. While you want a firm dough, it must still be workable. Divide dough into four pieces and flatten. Cover dough with plastic wrap when not working with it. Run each piece through a pasta machine on its widest setting a dozen or so times, folding it in half and rotating the sheet 45 degrees each time (see Tips). Dust with flour very sparingly, only if needed to prevent tearing. Repeat with remaining dough pieces. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling: Blend ricotta cheese in a food processor until smooth. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then stir in sugar. Sift in semolina flour, whisking to avoid clumping; it will immediately thicken up. Reduce the heat to low, fold in blended ricotta, and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from the heat and transfer filling to the food processor. Add egg yolks, one at a time with the processor running, until fully combined. Add orange peel, vanilla, and cinnamon, then pulse to mix. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

5. Divide each dough piece into four smaller pieces and cover with plastic wrap. Place clean kitchen towels over a work surface so you can lay each sheet of dough on the towels while you roll out the remaining sheets.

6. Run each piece of dough through a pasta machine on progressively smaller settings until dough is as thin as possible. After running it through the machine, stretch each sheet as wide as you can without tearing. Dough sheets should stretch to three times their original width and be so thin you can see through them.

7. Melt butter and lard in a saucepan. Place a sheet of parchment paper onto a work surface, and place the first sheet of pastry onto the parchment. Brush pastry with butter mixture. Place the second sheet above the first, overlapping 1/2 inch or so. Roll sheets up into a tight cylinder, leaving about 1 inch to overlap the next sheet. Place the third dough sheet onto the parchment, overlapping the second sheet, and brush with butter mixture. Continue rolling up the log of dough, repeating until all dough pieces are brushed with butter mixture and rolled. Wrap dough log in the parchment sheet, then wrap entirely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

8. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer chilled filling to a pastry bag or a 1-gallon zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.

9. Cut dough log into 1/2-inch slices; you should have 16 to 20 pieces. Holding it in both hands, use your thumbs to flatten each slice from the center outwards, then shape it into a cone. Pipe some filling into the center, close partially, and repeat to form remaining pastries.

10. Bake in the preheated oven until dough turns golden brown and starts to peel back from the pastries, 20 to 30 minutes, basting a couple of times with any leftover butter mixture if desired. Serve warm pastries dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Editor's Note:

Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of butter mixture. The actual amount consumed will vary.