Easter ring cake from Apulia
( Scarcella )

Recipe for Easter ring cake from Apulia or scarcella

Preparation

• - Prepare scarcella dough.
  Mix flour, sugar, salt and yeast on a pastry board.
  Then make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg and lemon zest.
  Pour olive oil and a part of your milk, heated slightly, into this well.
  Mix all ingredients gently, adding the remaining milk too.
  Add other milk if necessary.
  Knead your dough for ten minutes or so.
  Your dough must be soft.
• - Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F ).
• - Line the bottom of a baking pan with waxed paper.
• - Before baking.
  Divide your dough into three parts and put a little piece apart.
  Knead every part to form a long cylinder.
  Then braid your three cylinders.
  Shape the braid into a ring or an eight and arrange on the baking pan.
  Wash well a large raw egg and press it into your dough.
  Decorate your sweet ring with the dough you had put apart.
  Beat the egg white and brush the cake surface with it.
  Then sprinkle over decorating sugar.

Cooking

• - Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden.

Just before serving

• - Remove your scarcella from the baking pan and allow to cool before serving.

Note

Tips

• - This is a typical Easter cake from Apulia especially from Bari.
• - Prepare your scarcella cake in advance, the day before.
• - You can insert more eggs in the cake dough.

Menu planning

• - Serve it at breakfast or at the end of a meal.
• - Other Apulian recipes to plan a full menu, Apulia style?
  Begin your meal with Apulian focaccia, sliced and accompanied by assorted salami and cheese. It's a perfect starter, Italian style.
  A first course called orecchiette with turnip tops, Bari-style is very tasty in this menu.
  Then, don't forget lamb! It's a very popular meat in Apulia. I usually prepare a dish in which lamb is cooked with a lot of spring vegetables (stewed lamb with vegetables). Read my exclusive recipe, inspired by the cuisine of southern Italy!
  At the end scarcella.
  It can be a perfect Easter menu, Italian style.

Healthy eating

• - Scarcella is a sweet and so it should be consumed in moderation.
  A portion may be fine for breakfast.
  It should be an occasional event serving it after a lunch or dinner because a portion has an intake of calories equal to half of a normal meal ;))
• - Fiber per serving is very low: 0.9 grams compared to 23 grams that is the daily intake.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Easter ring cake from Apulia "?

A sweet wine such as Asti Spumante or Aleatico from Apulia is the best choice to match to Apulian scarcella.