Maritozzi con la Panna

Ingredients

• 300g strong white bread flour
• 200g plain flour
• 130ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 80ml water, lukewarm
• 12g fresh yeast, or 5g instant dried yeast
• 70g caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 60ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• Seeds from half a vanilla pod
• 5g fine salt
• 1 egg yolk plus 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
• 100g caster sugar and 75ml water, for the syrup
• 500ml cold double cream
• 40g icing sugar, plus more to dust

Before you cook

• Warm the sunflower oil gently, stir in both citrus zests and the vanilla seeds, then leave it to infuse.
• Take the eggs out of the fridge so they come to room temperature.
• Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Steps

1. Stir the yeast and honey into the lukewarm milk and water in a large bowl until dissolved.
2. Whisk in 100g of the strong flour to make a loose batter, cover the bowl, and leave it for 45 minutes until foamy and risen.
3. Beat the eggs with the 70g of caster sugar in a jug.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the foamy starter and stir to combine.
5. Add the remaining flours and mix with a dough hook on low speed for five minutes, until a shaggy dough forms.
6. Add the salt and knead on medium speed for eight minutes.
7. Pour in the infused oil in a thin stream, a little at a time, kneading until each addition is fully absorbed.
8. Keep kneading for about ten minutes more, until the dough is smooth, elastic and comes away from the bowl in one piece.
9. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it, and leave it somewhere warm for two hours, until doubled.
10. Tip the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide it into ten pieces of about 100g each.
11. Roll each piece under your cupped palm into a tight oval, tapering it very slightly at both ends.
12. Space the ovals well apart on the lined trays, cover them loosely, and prove for one hour until visibly puffed.
13. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
14. Beat the egg yolk with a tablespoon of milk and brush it gently over each bun.
15. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until glossy and deep golden.
16. Bring the 100g of sugar and 75ml of water to the boil in a small pan, stirring until clear, then take it off the heat.
17. Brush the buns generously with the hot syrup as soon as they leave the oven.
18. Cool the buns completely on a wire rack, which takes about an hour.
19. Whip the cold double cream with the 40g of icing sugar to firm peaks.
20. Cut a deep slit lengthways along the top of each bun, stopping short of the base.
21. Pipe or spoon in enough cream to overfill the slit, then level it flush by drawing a palette knife across the cut.
22. Dust the exposed cream lightly with icing sugar and serve straight away.