Never one for baking before, after religiously watching The Great British Baking Show I decided maybe I should broaden my horizons past adding pesto and olive oil to pasta.
Then I discovered crostata.
When my lovely Italian man described it to me, I said, "So it's a tart?"
"No," he replied
"So it's a pie?"
"No."
And so on for another five or more rounds of my prodding questions with the hopes of finding some baked identity for something I'd never heard of, yet alone made.
After some further research I can safely say, this is one of the best baked goods I've ever tasted, and well worth the labor of kneading and peeling sticky dough off your hands.
What goes inside?
Ingredients
6 eggs (2 whole, 4 only yolks)
200 g sugar
400 g plain flour
200 g butter
2 tsp vanilla
600 g marmalade of your choice
Just a few simple steps!
Chop butter into itty bitty cubs and combine it with the flour and sugar
Then wisk eggs and add to mixture
Knead the sticky dough, wrap in cling film, and place in the fridge for 1 hour
Get ready to roll! Roll it out on a flat surface sprinkled with flour
I know, I know, the dough is a sticky mess. But trust me, it's worth it!
Don't worry if your dough breaks when rolling, you can always patch it when it's inside the tin.
Spread butter into a tart tin, covering the entire thing. Then sprinkle flour on top of the butter to ensure the dough doesn't stick while baking.
Transfer the rolled out dough into a tart tin, and patch edges with spare pieces
Poke some holes in the bottom with a fork
Go ahead and pour that fruity marmalade in and smooth it out
With the extra dough, roll out again, and cut long strips to fit the length of the tin
Place them on top and be sure to press the end of the strip onto the dough on the sides, as to connect the strips
Bake at 350 F for roughly 40 to 45 minutes!
Crostata is a great Italian breakfast that tastes best after it's been left to sit over night.
Buon Appetito!
Enjoy your crostata e caffè!
Please drop a comment, throw an email at me, fling a photo my way... you get the picture.
I'd love to hear from you, whether you're a 70-year-old Italian woman who'd like to nail me on my baking imperfections, or if you're just a curious cat like me who likes to try new recipes. Don't be shy!
Do ignore my messy counter. This was my first attempt at crostata.
I personally found that I needed more dough, so my recommended recipe (as listed above) has doubled quantities to ensure you don't run out of that buttery goodness that is crostata dough.
Make sure to connect those strips to the sides. It will ensure they don't break off while baking.
Oh, and don't bake with your phone on the counter. The amount of flour in my Samsung charging port is ridiculous.
Now you might be saying, "Hey! Kristen, what the heck? Those are different crostatas!"
They are indeed, my friend.
As they say practice makes perfect, and in baking this second crostata (pictured left) I discovered the benefit of doubling the quantities of the dough.
Crostata is not a tart and is not a pie. It's crostata. And while it's a simple dough with a sparse amount of ingredients, that is also why it's crust is the highlight of the show!
I hope you find out for yourself by making this brilliant Italian bake!
Until next time, keep discovering!
-Ciao! from Kristen Discovers