Ciambella Romagnola
A Ciambella Romagnola, is a typical cake from Emilia-Romagna. It tastes like a giant sugar cookie and it's a really easy Italian recipe.
Ingredients
- Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon shredded lemon zest
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- Topping:
- milk to brush on
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with butter, or spray with baking spray (I use baking spray).
- Put all the dry ingredients for the dough, including the lemon zest, in a bowl. Blend them thoroughly with your hands or with a fork.
- Stir the egg, vanilla, and mild together.
- Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the liquids. Gradually work in the dry ingredients, tossing them with a fork (don't stir). You want to moisten and not beat the dough. You could work the dough with your hands. The dough should be moist, lumpy, and sticky. You may need to add more tablespoons of milk and flour until you get the right consistency.
- Generously flour a work surface and turn the dough onto it. Lightly flour your hands. Pat the dough out to form a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 13 inches long.
- Transfer the pastry to the baking sheet. Brush some milk on top and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of pearl sugar. Bake 25 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 250 F and bake another 25 minutes. You should check it at around 15-20 minutes to see how it is looking. You don't want it to be too dark. Cut the ciambella into slices of about 1/2 inch thick and enjoy!