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Buccellato siciliano
Fig and nut pastry ring
Buccellato: Sicily's Christmas pastry ring filled with figs, raisins, nuts and orange
In Palermo and western Sicily, buccellato is the great Christmas ring: a crumbly shortcrust wrapped around a dark, sticky filling of dried figs, raisins, almonds, walnuts, orange peel, chocolate and spices, often decorated with cuts along the top and coloured sprinkles. Families start the filling days ahead and bake several rings to give away. The filling traditionally includes a splash of Marsala; use orange juice for an alcohol-free version. Chef's tip: cut slits along the top of the ring before baking; they let steam out and show off the dark filling.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 14 oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 5 ½ oz cold butter or larddiced
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz dried figsstalks removed
- 2 ⅞ oz raisins
- 1 ¾ oz toasted almonds
- 1 ¾ oz walnuts
- 1 orangezest
- ¼ cup Marsalaor orange juice
- 1 ⅜ oz dark chocolatechopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg yolkbeaten, for brushing
- 1 tbsp coloured sprinklesopt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 5 ½ oz cold butter or lard into 14 oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp baking powder until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg, ¼ cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract and bring together into a dough without overworking. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Soak 10 ½ oz dried figs and 2 ⅞ oz raisins in hot water for 10 minutes, drain, then mince them with 1 ¾ oz toasted almonds and 1 ¾ oz walnuts. Stir in the zest of 1 orange, ¼ cup Marsala, 1 ⅜ oz dark chocolate, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Roll the pastry into a rectangle 45 × 15 cm and 5 mm thick.
Step 4: Spread the filling along the middle, fold the pastry over and seal. Turn seam side down, form into a ring on a lined tray and join the ends. Common mistake: rolling the pastry too thin; it cracks around the heavy filling.
Step 5: Brush with 1 egg yolk and cut small diagonal slits all around the top. Scatter with 1 tbsp coloured sprinkles, if using.
Step 6: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing. It keeps for a week wrapped up.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buccellato siciliano take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Christmas