Sweet Puglian Easter snacks ‘scarcella’

These snacks are a classic sweet treat of the Easter festival period and are made with simple ingredients such as shortcrust pastry. They come from Puglia originally, specifically from the province of Foggia, and are distinguished by the whole raw eggs which are usually attached to them before baking in the oven. You can design them in your own preferred shape and decorate them with granulated or coloured sugar. Among the shapes most commonly used to make this Puglian delicacy are doughnuts and breadbaskets, but you can also find them in the shape of birds or little dolls. So, if you want to try making these little snacks during Holy Week, follow our recipe, step-by-step, with the detailed picture gallery to help you!

Place the flour on a pastry board in a mound with a well, having first combined it with the sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Pour in the oil bit by bit, stirring with a fork. Then add the warm milk little by little until the dough is smooth and uniform. Divide the dough into three equal parts (plus an extra small piece which you leave to one side) and form each into a long sausage at least 1.5 cm wide. Form a plait and shape it into a circle. Place a whole raw egg at the junction of the two ends of the plait and encase it with two strips of folded dough from the little piece you kept aside. Place the plaited dough on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, brush the surface with some beaten egg mixed with a little water. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the dough and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.