Cornetti Italiani – Italian Breakfast Croissants Recipe
Cornetti are the Italian cousins of French croissants – a bit less buttery, but often delicately sweet and citrusy. Italians eat them in the morning at the bar with a cappuccino, but you can also bake them at home for a lazy weekend breakfast. The dough is yeasted, soft and fluffy, and the croissants can be filled with jam, chocolate spread or left plain and simply dusted with icing sugar.
Cornetti are the essence of an Italian bar breakfast – yeasted croissants, delicately sweet and often scented with citrus zest, perfect for dipping into cappuccino. They’re less buttery and lighter than French croissants, but fluffier and softer inside, so they taste great on their own or with filling. This bake turns an ordinary morning at home into a little trip to a Roman café.
Chef's tips
Knead the yeast dough until it’s really smooth and elastic – that’s the key to nicely risen, soft croissants; when kneading by hand this usually takes about 10 minutes. Make sure the milk is only lukewarm, not hot, because too high a temperature will kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise. When shaping the cornetti, don’t roll the dough too thin – very thin “arms” of the croissant dry out easily and over-brown in the oven.
How to serve
They’re best freshly baked, still slightly warm, served with cappuccino or latte and a small glass of water – just like in an Italian bar. You can fill them with homemade apricot jam, chocolate-hazelnut spread or lemon curd and serve for a lazy Saturday breakfast. If any are left for the next day, gently reheat them in the oven or in a dry pan and serve with butter and honey as a quick afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- flour - 500 g
- lukewarm milk not hot, just slightly warm - 250 ml
- fresh yeast or 7 g instant yeast - 20 g
- sugar - 80 g
- soft butter at room temperature - 80 g
- egg for the dough - 1 piece
- egg yolk for brushing - 1 piece
- grated zest of a lemon or orange only the coloured part - 1 piece
- pinch of salt - 1 pinch
- sugar optional
- jam, chocolate spread or nut spread optional, for filling - 100 g
Preparation
- If using fresh yeast, prepare a starter: pour the lukewarm milk into a small bowl (it should feel pleasantly warm, not hot), add crumbled yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix and set aside for 10–15 minutes until foamy on top. If using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add it directly to the flour.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, remaining sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon or orange zest. Mix.
- Add the egg, soft butter and the yeast starter (or milk with instant yeast). Start kneading the dough by hand or with a dough hook until everything comes together.
- Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, elastic and pulling away from the sides of the bowl and your hands. If it’s very sticky, add a little flour, but don’t overdo it – the dough should stay soft.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 1–1.5 hours, until doubled in size.
- Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently deflate it by pressing with your hand. Roll it out into a large circle about 0.5 cm thick.
- Cut the circle into 12 wedges like a pizza. Place a teaspoon of jam or cream at the wide end of each wedge if you want filled croissants.
- Roll up each wedge from the wide end to the tip, gently stretching the dough to form a neat crescent. Place the croissants on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space between them.
- Cover the croissants with a cloth and leave to rise again for 30–40 minutes – they should puff up visibly.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Mix the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of milk and gently brush the tops of the croissants with it.
- Bake the croissants for 15–20 minutes, until golden and lightly browned at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Before serving, you can dust them with icing sugar.
Storage
Store cooled cornetti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze them once baked and cooled. Reheat briefly in the oven or toaster oven before serving to refresh their texture.
