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Ciauna
Sicilian sweets made with ricotta-filled pasta, flavored with cinnamon and baked until golden.
Ciauna is a sweet pastry made with a base of enriched pastry and a creamy ricotta filling. Its structure combines a firm casing, shaped like a disc with a raised edge, with a soft and fragrant filling, in which the sweetness of sugar and honey meets notes of cinnamon, vanillin powder and lemon zest. Baking golden browns the pastry and delicately firms the cream, maintaining a pleasant contrast between the surface and the inside. In Sicily, according to the information provided, ciaune were eaten as a sign of penance at the end of Lent. The recipe is also considered a typical dessert of the municipality of Valdina.
Instructions
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7 steps · natural Italian voice
Prepare the pasta
Pour the flour into a mound on the work surface and crack the eggs into the center, beating them lightly with a fork. Add the sugar, lard, baking powder, vanillin powder, salt, cinnamon, and vermouth. Begin incorporating the flour from the edges, adding milk as needed to obtain a consistent, smooth dough.
Work the dough
Knead vigorously until smooth the mixture Compact, smooth, and easy to work with. Check the consistency: the dough should be firm enough to roll out without dripping or sticking too much to the surface. If necessary, adjust the workability with small amounts of milk, without making the dough too soft.
Form the disks
Roll out the dough into a uniform sheet and cut out discs. Keep the edges even so they cook evenly. Finish each base by placing a small roll of dough around the edge, which will form the edge around the filling.
Prepare the filling
Mix the ricotta with the sugar, the egg yolks, the vanillin powder, cinnamon, honey and grated lemon zest. Work the mixture until you obtain a uniform cream, without visible lumps and dense enough to remain on the disks without expanding.
Fill the bases
Spread the ricotta filling in the center of the discs, staying within the edge of the pastry. Gently smooth the surface without pressing down on the side ridges. Make sure each disc has an even amount of filling, so the filling will cook evenly.
Bake in the oven
15 minBake at 180°C (356°F) for 15 minutes. Check the surface: the ciauna are ready when the pastry and the edge are golden brown and the filling appears firm. Avoid overcooking to preserve the filling's softness.
Complete with cinnamon
Remove the ciauna from the oven and let them cool briefly, then sprinkle them with a small amount of cinnamon. Distribute it lightly and evenly over the surface, enhancing the spicy aroma without overpowering the flavor of the ricotta.
Chef's Tips
Roll out the dough to a uniform thickness and seal the edges of each piece well, so that the ricotta filling stays contained during cooking and the surface browns evenly.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for 10 people
- For the pasta:
- (2.2 lb) 1 kg flour
- (10.58 oz) 300 g sugar
- 4 eggs
- (3.53 oz) 100 g of lard milk for kneading
- 1 packet Of baking powder 4 packets Of vanillin powder
- ½ glass of vermouth
- 1 pinch of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt, cinnamon
- For the filling:
- (2.2 lb) 1 kg ricotta
- (10.58 oz) 300 g sugar
- 3 egg yolks, grated lemon zest 1 packet Of vanillin powder
- (1 tbsp) 1 tablespoon of honey, cinnamon
Can't find it in the US?
- lardMost US supermarkets
Vegetable shortening, same weight, for doughs and pastry
Or: Neutral oil for frying; butter for doughs, 20% more by weight
Shortening has a neutral flavor; butter browns faster.
- baking powderUS equivalent
1 Italian packet (bustina) = 16 g = about 4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
Or: For lievito vanigliato also add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- vanillin powderUS equivalent
1 packet (0.5 g) = 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⚠️ Automatic ingredient-based detection. Always check product labels.









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