Scarcella is a traditional Pugliese dessert for the Easter season. The dough of the scarcella is a kind of pasta frolla. It's a little soft inside because of the presence of yeast. The peculiarity of the Scarcella dough is that it is made with extra virgin olive oil and not with butter. After all, extra virgin olive oil is the flagship among Puglian products!
During the Easter holidays you can find these Italian Easter cookies with eggs on tables all over Puglia and especially in the Bari area. Traditionally they have the shape of a plait closed with a hard-boiled egg in the center and decorated with colored sprinkles. We also often find scarcelle in the shape of a rabbit, a dove or other typical Easter shapes, always with the egg caged in.
As we will see later, the caged egg has a strong symbolic value and explains the reason for the name "Scarcella". Over time, this dessert has spread throughout southern Italy, where it has different names and small differences depending on the region. For example, "Cuzzupe" in Calabria and "Ciddure" in Sicily.
Traditionally, scarcelle are made during Holy Week to be eaten at breakfast on Easter Sunday or given as gifts to friends and relatives.
Flavored with lemon zest, scarcelle give off an irresistible aroma while baking. These Easter cookies are really good, made with simple and healthy ingredients. They are beautiful and will bring a touch of color and cheer to your Easter table.
Try making Scarcella Pugliese and you will be amazed!
Ingredients
Prep time: 15 Min | Resting Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 45 Min | Servings: 4 Scarcelle
- 500 g (3 ⅓ cups) of flour
- 1 whole egg
- 1 yolk
- 150 g (¾ cup) of granulated sugar
- 100 g (⅖ cup) of extra virgin olive oil
- 125 ml (½ cup) of milk
- the zest of 1 medium organic lemon
- 1o g (2 ½ teaspoons) of baking powder
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- rainbow sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
Make the Dough
Step 1) - To prepare the dough for Scarcelle cookies, first pour the flour into a bowl. Then add the baking powder and granulated sugar. Then add the grated zest of the organic lemon.
Note: Be careful not to grate the bitter white part of the peel, but only the outermost yellow layer.
Step 2) - In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the whole egg and add it to the mixture. Mix with a fork, trying to incorporate the flour along the rim of the bowl a little at a time.
Step 3) - Now pour in the extra virgin olive oil in a drizzle and mix. At this point the dough starts to become thick and full-bodied. Best to continue kneading with your hands.
Step 4) - Also add the milk in several batches while continuing to knead.
Note: It is best to warm the milk slightly. But it should not be boiling hot.
Step 5) - Once you have a firm and elastic dough, transfer it to a floured pastry board. Knead the dough for another couple of minutes. Form a smooth loaf and let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
Boil the Eggs
While the dough rests, place 4 eggs in a saucepan, cover them with cool water and let them cook for 8 minutes from boiling. Then cool them under cold water and keep them aside without peeling.
The Shape
Step 6) - At the end of the resting time, take the dough. With the help of a tarot, divide the dough into portions of about 70 g (2 ½ oz) each. Now, rolling with your fingers, shape each piece of dough into a string about 30 cm (12 inches) long.
Step 7) - Take three cords, join them at the ends and form a braid. Remember to keep some dough aside (about 40 g - 1.5 oz) to make the egg cage later.
Step 8) - At this point, join the two ends of the braid together by crushing the dough. Form the Apulian scarcella with a circular shape about 12-15 cm (5-6 inches) in diameter and a hole in the center. Continue in the same way for the remaining pieces until you have 4-5 scarcella with the quantities indicated.
Note: In addition to the traditional shape, other typical Easter shapes can also be made. For example, bunnies, doves, bells, according to your skill and imagination.
Line a drip pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Then arrange the scarcelle on the drip pan, spacing them apart.
Step 9) - Take the hard-boiled eggs and place them in the center of each scarcella. Then, with the dough set aside, make small rolled strings with your hands.
Step 10) - "Cage" the eggs with two cords arranged crosswise over the egg. Then in a small bowl, beat one egg yolk with two tablespoons of milk. With a kitchen brush, sprinkle the surface of the scarcelle.
Step 11) - Now spread the colored sprinkles over the scarcelle. These will stick thanks to the layer of egg and milk.
Baking
Step 12) - Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for about 45 minutes, until the scarcelle are well browned on the surface. Once golden brown, remove the Easter scarcelle from the oven and allow them to cool completely before enjoying them in all their simplicity and goodness.
Note: When they cool, do not cover them with a cloth or plastic wrap. This will promote condensation and moisten the cookies.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Torta Pasqualina | Italian Easter Pie
- Easter Eggs filled with Chocolate Ganache
- Easter Cheese Bread | Crescia di Pasqua Recipe
- Colomba Recipe
- Pastiera Napoletana Recipe
- Uova alla Monachina (Crispy Italian Béchamel-Stuffed Eggs)
- Treccia di Pasqua (Sweet Italian Easter Bread)
Storage
Scarcella will keep for 2-3 days under a glass cake dome in a cool, dry place.
If you store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container, it will keep up to 4-5 days. Before serving, let it rest at room temperature for about an hour.
Wrapped in plastic wrap, the dough of these Italian Easter cookies with eggs can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Variations
Shape and Size of Scarcelle:
- As mentioned above, the traditional shape of the Apulian Scarcella is that of a braid closed like a bundt cake with an egg in the center. This shape represents the cycle of life and the egg the symbol of rebirth.
- Scarcella in the shape of a bunny, dove or other shapes are also often prepared to symbolize Easter and spring.
- The scarcella is generally large in size. As we have seen with 500 g (1.1 pound) of flour you make 4 or 5 scarcelle of about 15 cm (6 inch) in diameter.
- Often, with the doses given, they make a single scarcella about 30 cm (12 inch) in diameter with 3 or 5 eggs caged in the rim and the hole in the center.
- Tradition dictates that hard-boiled eggs should always be in odd numbers to be auspicious.
- During Easter lunch they use the large scarcella as a centerpiece.
Decoration:
The outer decoration of the scarcella, whatever its shape, is made with rainbow sprinkles. Sometimes the scarcella is covered with white icing. It is always covered with colored sprinkles.
Regional Variations:
Scarcelle are typical of Puglia, but are actually widespread throughout southern Italy. Depending on the region they take on different names.
In Calabria, for example, these Easter Italian sweets are called "Cuzzupe" and in Sicily "Cuddure". They are exactly the same thing. The only difference is that sometimes they don't use oil but butter or lard.
Origins and Meaning of the Name "Scarcella"
The origin of the scarcella is lost in the first centuries of the spread of Christianity. This simple round cookie with an egg caged in the center has many symbols related to religious tradition.
Its name, "scarcella", is said to derive from the verb "scarcellare", which means to free from chains.
The egg would represent the body of Christ, which was "freed" from the tomb at Easter morning with the Resurrection.
According to tradition, in order to eat the scarcella, the egg has to be precisely freed from the dough.
The egg is, in a sense, "released" from its cage. Hence the deep meaning of the cake, a symbol of Christ's resurrection and liberation from original sin.
In addition, the round shape of the scarcella is believed to symbolize good fortune and the birth of new life.
Recipe Card
Scarcella Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g flour 3 ⅓ cups of "00" flour
- 1 egg
- 1 yolk
- 150 g granulated sugar ¾ cup
- 100 g olive oil ⅖ cup, extra virgin
- 125 ml milk ½ cup
- ½ lemon zest, organic
- 10 g baking powder 2 ½ teaspoons
- 4 eggs hard-boiled
- rainbow sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
THE DOUGH
- To prepare the dough for these Italian Easter cookies with eggs, first pour the flour into a bowl. Then add the baking powder and granulated sugar. Then add the grated zest of the organic lemon.
- In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the whole egg and add it to the mixture. Mix with a fork, trying to incorporate the flour along the rim of the bowl a little at a time.
- Pour in the extra virgin olive oil in a drizzle and mix. At this point the dough starts to become thick and full-bodied. Best to continue kneading with your hands.
- Add the milk in several batches while continuing to knead. It's best to warm the milk slightly. But it should not be boiling hot.
- Once you have a firm and elastic dough, transfer it to a floured pastry board. Knead the dough for another couple of minutes. Form a smooth loaf and let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
- While the dough rests, place 4 eggs in a saucepan, cover them with cool water and let them cook for 8 minutes from boiling. Then cool them under cold water and keep them aside without peeling.
THE SHAPE
- At the end of the resting time, take the dough. With the help of a tarot, divide the dough into portions of about 70 g (2 ½ oz) each. Now, rolling with your fingers, shape each piece of dough into a string about 30 cm (12 inches) long.
- Take three strings of dough, join them at the ends and form a braid. Remember to keep some dough aside (about 40 g - 1.5 oz) to make the egg cage later.
- Join the two ends of the braid together by crushing the dough. Form the Apulian scarcella with a circular shape about 12-15 cm (5-6 inches) in diameter and a hole in the center. Continue in the same way for the remaining pieces until you have 4-5 scarcelle with the quantities indicated.
- Line a drip pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Then arrange the scarcelle on the drip pan, spacing them apart.
- Take the hard-boiled eggs and place them in the center of each scarcella. Then, with the dough set aside, make small rolled strings with your hands.
- "Cage" the eggs with two little strings arranged crosswise over the egg. Then in a small bowl, beat one egg yolk with two tablespoons of milk. With a kitchen brush, sprinkle the surface of the scarcelle.
- Spread the rainbow sprinkles over the scarcelle. These will stick thanks to the layer of egg and milk.
BAKING
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for about 45 minutes, until the scarcelle are well browned on the surface. Once golden brown, remove the Easter scarcelle from the oven and allow them to cool completely before enjoying them in all their simplicity and goodness.
Leave a Reply