Maritozzi – Italian Sweet Buns Recipe
Soft, golden Italian cream buns, Maritozzi are made with fluffy brioche dough, filled with sweet whipped cream, and topped with powdered sugar—a Rome-inspired treat!
While there are Italian desserts that everybody knows, like tiramisu or panna cotta, it seems that the famous Roman sweet cream buns are not getting the same fame. And that’s a shame because these Maritozzi buns are fluffy, soft, and super delicious.
Video Recipe
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best Maritozzi recipe. This step-by-step tutorial simplifies the process, offering tips and tricks to guarantee perfect results every time.
Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box ! 👇
What is Maritozzi?
Maritozzi con Panna are soft, golden brown Italian cream buns hailing from the Lazio region of Italy. Traditionally made with a rich brioche dough, these delightful sweet buns are sliced and filled with sweetened whipped cream, creating a luscious dessert or snack. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast treat or a luxurious dessert, Roman maritozzo is a symbol of Italian indulgence and simplicity. Its soft texture and heavenly cream filling will have you savoring every bite.
Why You’ll Love Maritozzi
Here’s why these soft buns will become your favorite treat:
- 🥰 Soft and fluffy texture: Perfectly baked to a golden brown with a rich brioche dough.
- 🍋 Zesty flavor: Enhanced by the aromatic lemon zest or orange zest.
- 🎂 Versatile delight: A great addition to your collection of Italian recipes for breakfast, dessert, or celebrations.
- 🍯 Sweet and simple: With a touch of honey, they’re mildly sweet and pair beautifully with tea or coffee.
- 🎉 Customizable cream filling: Add flavors like pine nuts or orange peel for unique variations!
How to Make Maritozzi
1. Prepare the Dough: Mix ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to create a smooth dough. Allow it to rise in a warm place until it forms a soft elastic ball of dough.
2. Shape and Second Rise: Divide into small pieces, shape into balls, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let rise again.
3. Bake to Perfection: Brush with egg wash and bake until the buns turn a beautiful golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Fill with Cream: Slice with a serrated knife, using a piping bag, pipe whipped cream inside, and dust with icing sugar for the perfect finish!
Secret Tips to Make the Best Maritozzi
- 🌡️ Use ingredients at room temperature for better consistency.
- 🧈 Add a little extra butter or olive oil to make the buns extra soft.
- 🍋 Use fresh lemon zest or orange zest for vibrant flavor.
- 🥄 Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic for good results.
- 🍯 Brush with honey syrup after baking for added shine and sweetness.
- 🍞 Allow the dough to rise fully during the first rise and the second proof to ensure airy buns.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
- ❌ Dough too sticky? Add a small amount of bread flour until it’s manageable but still soft.
- 🕒 Buns didn’t rise? If your buns don’t rise, this easy Maritozzi recipe includes tips to help you achieve perfect results. Check if your instant yeast or active dry yeast is fresh. Let the dough rise in a warm place.
- 🥵 Buns browned too quickly? Cover them with foil halfway through baking.
- 🥄 Cream not whipping? Ensure the heavy cream is chilled to form stiff peaks.
- 🍋 Flavor missing? Don’t skip the zest—either orange peel or lemon zest elevates the flavor.
Maritozzi Filling Ideas
Maritozzi are incredibly versatile, and the creamy filling can be customized to suit any flavor preference. Here are 4–5 creative and delicious filling ideas to try:
- Classic Sweet Whipped Cream: The traditional filling made with sweetened whipped cream flavored with a touch of vanilla extract is timeless. It’s light, airy, and pairs beautifully with the soft buns.
- Pistachio Cream: Add an indulgent twist with creamy pistachio spread or homemade pistachio paste blended with whipped cream. The nutty flavor adds richness and an elegant green hue, making your Maritozzi irresistible. You can use the frosting if this from this pistachio cake recipe as filling.
- Nutella or Chocolate Cream: For chocolate lovers, a rich chocolate ganache or a swirl of Nutella whipped into cream adds a luscious, dessert-like quality. Perfect for special occasions or chocolate cravings. 🍫
- Citrus Mascarpone: Blend mascarpone cheese with a splash of orange or lemon juice and zest for a tangy and creamy filling that adds brightness to the buns. 🍋
Variations
- 🌰 Nutty Delight: Add pine nuts or ground hazelnuts to the cream filling.
- 🍓 Fruity Fun: Add fresh berries like strawberries or raspberries on top of the cream.
- 🍞 Sourdough Maritozzi: Use a sourdough starter for a tangy flavor twist.
- Pistachio
Substitutes for Ingredients
- 🍞 Bread Flour: Swap with all-purpose flour for slightly less chew.
- 🍋 Lemon Zest: Use orange zest or even vanilla for a different flavor.
- 🥛 Heavy Cream: Replace with coconut cream for a dairy-free version.
- 🍯 Honey: Substitute with agave syrup or maple syrup for a vegan-friendly option.
Which Flour is Best for Maritozzi?
Choosing the right flour is key to achieving the perfect soft dough and fluffy texture for the best Maritozzi recipe. Here are three excellent options:
- All-Purpose Flour: Widely available and versatile, all-purpose flour works well for Maritozzi. It produces a tender and soft bun, making it a great choice if you don’t have specialty flours on hand.
- Bread Flour: For a chewier texture and better structure, bread flour is ideal. Its higher protein content helps create a more elastic dough, giving the buns a slight bite while keeping them soft and fluffy. It’s often recommended for brioche dough.
- 00 Flour: This finely milled Italian flour is perfect for achieving the authentic texture of Roman Maritozzi. Its silky smoothness results in a delicate and light crumb, making it a popular choice for many traditional Italian recipes.
Common Questions
Yes, you can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast. Just dissolve it in warm milk with a pinch of sugar and let it activate for 5–10 minutes before mixing it into the dough.
If your Maritozzi didn’t rise:
* Check if your yeast is fresh and active.
* Ensure the dough is placed in a warm place for the first rise and second proof.
* Avoid adding salt directly to the yeast, as it can deactivate it.
Yes! You can bake the buns ahead and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Fill them with the cream just before serving for the freshest taste.
If your Maritozzi buns turn out dense or hard, it could be due to:
* Insufficient kneading, which prevents the dough from developing enough gluten.
* Overproofing or underproofing, which affects the structure of the buns.
* Using too much flour, which can make the dough too stiff.
To fix this, ensure you knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, measure ingredients carefully, and allow the dough to rise fully in a warm place.
How to Store
Store Maritozzi buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Filled buns can be refrigerated for up to 2 days but are best served fresh. For longer storage, freeze the buns without cream and fill them later. This easy Maritozzi recipe allows you to prepare the buns ahead of time and enjoy them fresh.
More Dessert Recipes
Maritozzi – Italian Sweet Buns Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 4 cups (500 g) Flour read recipe ntes
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) Sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) Instant-dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) Milk add more if needed
- 2 tablespoons (40 g) Honey
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) Oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) Butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest/Lemon zest
For brushing the buns:
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Milk
For the cream:
- 1 ½ (360 ml) Heavy cream cold
- ¼ cup (30 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl or in a bowl of a stand mixer, place flour, sugar, yeast, salt and stir. Make a well and add milk, honey, egg, vanilla extract, oil, melted butter and orange/lemon zest. Mix until dough is formed. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, until smooth, soft and elastic. If the dough is too hard/dry – add 2-3 tablespoons of milk.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into X pieces (80g), roll each piece into a ball. Arrange the balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them to rise. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- In a small bowl whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush each bun with the egg wash.
- Bake the buns for 15 minutes, Until golden.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Make the cream: in a large bowl whip heavy cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag.
- Slice each bun across the top, without cutting the base. Fill each bun with the cream and smooth it out with a spatula.
- Top each bun with powdered sugar and serve.
Video
Notes
- Watch the Video: For a better understanding of the recipe, I always recommend watching the video recipe, which includes a step-by-step guide to help you succeed.
- FAQs: Make sure you read the FAQs for this recipe which are located above the recipe box for additional tips and troubleshooting! For extra tips and variations read the article.
- Best flour for Maritozzo:
- All-Purpose Flour: Great for a tender and soft bun, easy to find.
- Bread Flour: Perfect for chewy, structured buns with a fluffy texture.
- 00 Flour: The most authentic choice for light, delicate Italian recipes.
My buns are coming out more like biscuits than soft bread rolls as shown above. Do I need to use bread flour instead of all purpose? Am I not kneading enough? I am using Platinum Instant yeast, is there something better? Help!
My problem was not leaving the milk with the yeast, sug, flour and everything to sit before 5-10 minutes before stirring and kneading. Winter season is also the reason why it takes longer to raise. I haven’t tried it but leaving the milk and egg for the buns out for 15 minutes room temp might help. My house is 66-67 degrees. Maybe raising the temp to 70
Very nice recipe! The buns are light and fluffy, perfect on the second day 😍
Really?
Just finished baking them! Let me tell you, these buns are AMAZING!!!
My family loved it
I tried making this recipe twice. the first time I followed the video exactly and my dough did not rise, so i thought it to the recipe maybe the yeast should start in warm (100 degree) water then add it to the recipe. It still did not rise?what gives?
to make the yeast grow it must have 1)sugar 2) it needs moister 3) warmth. All I can think of is that maybe either the dough wasn’t warm enough or it got too hot and killed the yeast.
Oh, make sure your dough is well kneeded as she said otherwise the gluten is not formed and will not grow.
100 degree water will kill the yeast and will not rise
LOL, funny how many whining folks on here can’t even get bread to rise and complain ‘it’s the recipe’. Watch some videos and learn the basics of bread before saying stupid stuff.
They are perfect! I’d add a little more honey or sugar for a sweeter version. But the dough is soft and fluffy. We eat them even without cream.
Glad you like them 🙂
I made these and they turned out perfect! Just what I was looking for, and was enjoyable to make, I was also able to make a full course dinner while the dough rose so I’d say it all worked out amazing! Great recipe thanks for sharing:)
Made these delicious buns with lemon zest. I will definitely make them again, perhaps with orange zest. I ate 3 big ones the first day & gave some as a gift. Put a couple in the freezer with the whipped cream in them & they thawed out perfectly.
Holy Guacamole these are delicious! I used lievito di birra (italian yeast), half whole wheat pastry flour (for nutrients) and chia water combo because I don’t eat eggs. They are amazing. Thank you.
Could I use golden syrup instead of honey
What kind of flour and oil are you using?
AP flour/Bread flour or even 00 flour can work.
I made these . The first batch didn’t rise . So I used warm milk and the yeast activated . Some one asked what flour to use . It’s plain
As mentioned in the recipe, the combination of oil and butter makes the perfect dough.
I’ve tried both versions, one with just oil, the second with oil and melted butter.
While they are both good, the addition of butter makes the maritozzi extra soft.