Prepare the dough, as always by hand. In a small bowl, dissolve the brewer’s yeast in milk.

In a bowl, quickly mix 80 g of granulated sugar, softened butter, citrus zest, vanilla, and eggs.

In another large bowl, mix together 300 g Manitoba flour and 200 g 00 flour (or all-purpose flour), and salt.

Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk with melted yeast, and the butter and egg mixture.

How to make whipped cream filled Maritozzi

Mix with your fingers, starting in the middle and gradually adding flour to the sides. Continue kneading until you’ve added all the ingredients well and your dough comes off the bowl well.

At this point, transfer everything to a lightly floured work surface 00. Lightly flour your hands and continue kneading, rolling the dough from top to bottom, and crushing it with your hands. Rotate the dough 90° and repeat, and keep going until you have a dough that comes off the table perfectly and the table is clean. The finished dough should be firm and smooth. Form a ball with your hands and let it stand for 5 minutes on the work surface.

After 5 minutes, roll out the dough again 3–4 times, form a ball with your hands, and place it in a floured container. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at 30 degrees until tripled in volume (about 3-4 hours). I use a preheated oven for 5 minutes, then turn it off and put in the dough, and repeat the operation when the oven is completely cool. Obviously, as with all risen dough, times are approximate and vary with temperature, so don’t rush!

When it has risen well, carefully remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a work surface. Divide it into two parts with a pastry knife or spatula and form 2 cylinders. Divide them into pieces of 80 g each, roll them out on the countertop, and shape them into balls, pressing lightly.

How to make Italian sweet buns with whipped cream

When all the buns are ready, place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Let rise to 30 °C until they triple in volume.

At this point, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Whisk the egg yolk with a fork and brush the surface of the Maritozzi. Bake in a static mode in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare syrup with water and sugar. Pour 100 ml of water into a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of sugar, and let simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Maritozzi sweet buns filled with whipped cream

Brush the Maritozzi with the glaze and let them dry well.

Whip the whipped cream and cut the Maritozzi lengthwise.

Fill the Maritozzi and smooth out the whipped cream that comes out with a spatula for a classic Maritozzi look in bars.

When the Maritozzi are ready, arrange them on a tray and sprinkle them with powdered sugar.