Sfogliata
Served with a glass of full-bodied red wine or a Martini, this anchovy- and oregano-flecked Italian bread makes for an appetizer extraordinaire.
Bread keeps, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature 2 days or frozen 1 month.
Recipe information
Total Time
4 hr
Yield
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
For dough
For seasoned oil
Preparation
Make dough:
Step 1
Stir together water and yeast in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir oil into yeast mixture. Pulse together "00" flour, semolina, and salt in a food processor until combined. With motor running, pour in yeast mixture and process until a wet dough forms. Transfer dough from bowl to a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times until smooth. Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Make seasoned oil:
Step 2
Whisk together all oil ingredients in a small bowl until combined well.
Form and bake sfogliata:
Step 3
Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to remove air. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface into a roughly 18-inch round (1/8-inch thick).
Step 4
Reserve 1 tablespoon seasoned oil and brush remaining oil over dough round, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style and pinch seam to seal (some filling will seep out as you roll). Arrange roll seam side down and form into a coil, then transfer to oiled pan. Gently press on coil to flatten slightly, then cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Step 5
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Brush top of dough with reserved oil and bake until pale golden and top and underside are crusty, 35 to 40 minutes. Lift bread from pan with a metal spatula and transfer, right side up, to cool completely on a rack, about 1 hour. Serve bread thinly sliced.
Step 6
*Available at fornobravo.com.
Step 7
**Available at D. Coluccio & Sons (718-436-6700).
