This sourdough maritozzi recipe makes nine buns that bake perfectly on one half-sheet baking pan (13x18\"). These aluminum baking sheets from Nordic Ware are my favorite!

Sourdough Maritozzi (Italian Sweet Buns)

Name: Sourdough Maritozzi (Italian Sweet Buns)
Prep time: 1440 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1465 min
Ingredients: 40 grams Sourdough Starter; 40 grams Bread Flour; 6 grams Granulated Sugar; 40 grams Water; 58 grams Bread Flour; 58 grams Boiling Water; 220 grams Bread Flour; 27 grams Granulated Sugar; 5 grams Sea Salt; 1 TBS Orange Zest (or lemon zest); Sweet Levain (see above); Yudane (see above); 59 grams Whole Milk (room temperature); 2 Eggs (room temperature, plus one more for egg wash); 85 grams Unsalted Butter (6 TBS, room temperature); 1 cup Heavy Cream; 3 TBS Powdered Sugar (plus more for dusting); 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

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What are Maritozzi?

Maritozzi are Italian sweet buns, typically filled with whipped cream. Maritozzo is the singular for one bun. With cream, the buns are often called “maritozzi con la panna.”

The history of maritozzi is a little convoluted but can be traced to Ancient Roman times as larger savory rolls for commoners. They evolved into sweet buns during the Middle Ages to eat during Lent.

The name “maritozzo” comes from the Italian word for husband, “marito.” Men would propose to their future wives with engagement rings stuffed in the center of the buns.

Nowadays, maritozzi are still popular desserts on Valentine’s Day or as sweet gifts, but are generally consumed at breakfast with coffee.

You can make maritozzi in many ways, such as brushing on a sugar syrup, filling them with jam or mascarpone, or incorporating raisins, pine nuts, or candied orange peel in the dough. However, this maritozzi recipe opts for simplicity, so you can modify it however you prefer!

Finally, maritozzi are similar to Devonshire Splits, which were a featured technical challenge in the Great British Baking Show. Devonshire splits are often made with clotted cream, jam, or fruit.

Close up of a sourdough maritozzo filled with whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar

What makes these Sourdough Maritozzi so soft and fluffy?

These maritozzi buns are a slightly less buttery version of my incredibly soft Sourdough Brioche Bread.

This foundational brioche recipe is the base for many rolls, buns, and desserts because it is versatile, straightforward, and adaptable.

Firstly, I use the yudane method (similar but more manageable than tangzhong) to help the buns rise tall and have a soft pull-apart texture. This method works because the gelatinized starch absorbs more water. The higher hydration creates more steam, which helps the buns rise taller.

Secondly, brioche dough is highly enriched with eggs and butter to create the softest brioche buns. Use room temperature butter during mixing so the butter is essentially whipped into the dough. These buns use slightly less butter than my brioche loaf to make them easier to shape.

Finally, the buns are made using high-protein bread flour. Because the dough is so enriched, brioche is best made with high-protein bread flour mixed for a long time to develop gluten. The gluten strands create a more elastic, chewy bread.

Once baked, the maritozzi buns have a soft crumb, springy and chewy texture, and buttery flavor. Lastly, the orange zest balances it all out to bring a hint of brightness to the buns.

Baked sourdough brioche bun on baking sheet that will become a maritozzo — Sweet sourdough brioche bun

Tools Needed for Sourdough Maritozzi

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Baking Sheet

This sourdough maritozzi recipe makes nine buns that bake perfectly on one half-sheet baking pan (13×18″). These aluminum baking sheets from Nordic Ware are my favorite!

Baking Scale

I always list ingredients by weight in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure baking ingredients. Use a scale, and your baking will immediately be better!

I love my Escali baking scale and use it every day. The batteries last a long time, the scale is accurate, and it comes in many colors.

Additionally, I use the scale to weigh the rolls evenly once divided.

Stand Mixer (preferred, but can mix by hand)

A stand mixer is not 100% necessary to make these, but is preferred over mixing by hand.

Since these highly enriched rolls contain ingredients like eggs and butter, mixing with a stand mixer is easier to develop enough gluten.

Conversely, if you mix by hand, you may need to mix for about double the amount of time.

Sourdough maritozzi at the end of proofing on a baking sheet — Proofed sourdough maritozzi on half-sheet pan

Ingredients Needed for Sourdough Maritozzi

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Bread Flour

King Arthur Bread Flour has a high-protein content and is the type I use for most recipes since it’s high-quality and widely available.

Moreover, I like bread flour for maritozzi since it helps the buns rise taller and have a chewier texture. However, you can use all-purpose flour too.

Sourdough Starter

To reduce sourness in the buns, I make a sweet levain by adding a few grams of granulated sugar to the sourdough starter.

The small amount of sugar will suppress some of the acidity of the starter, but you’ll still get incredibly flavorful buns due to their long fermentation.

Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips.

Heavy Whipping Cream

The filling for maritozzi is so easy to make! Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and extra vanilla are the only ingredients for the filling.

Heavy cream and whipping cream are essentially the same, so you can use either interchangeably.

Have mascarpone? Add some to the whipped cream for an even smoother, more decadent filling.

You could add a couple of tablespoons of malted milk powder to the whipped cream to give a little umami to the cream.

Granulated sugar
Orange zest (or lemon zest)
Sea Salt
Whole milk (room temperature)
Eggs (room temperature)
Unsalted butter (room temperature)
Confectioner’s Sugar (powdered sugar)
Vanilla extract

Ingredients for sourdough brioche including levain, milk, eggs, yudane, sugar, flour, salt, and butter — Ingredients for sourdough brioche that will make the maritozzi buns

👨‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Maritozzi

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make the best Sourdough Maritozzi.

1. Build the Sweet Levain

Set aside 85 grams of unsalted butter (6 TBS), 2 eggs, and 59 grams of whole milk to come to room temperature.

In an empty pint-sized jar, mix:

40 grams of active sourdough starter
40 grams of bread flour
6 grams of granulated sugar
40 grams of water

Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until it doubles, is bubbly, and ripe.

Bubbly and ripe levain in small jar — Bubbly and ripe levain in jar

Note: Please refer to my guide on How To Make A Sourdough Starter if you do not have an active sourdough starter.

Learn the difference between a starter and a levain here.

See my Top 10 Sourdough Starter Tips for Success for extra tips to make a more robust sourdough starter.

2. Make Yudane

Make the yudane right after you make the levain (or at least 5 hours before you make the dough).

Place 58 grams of bread flour in a small, heatproof bowl.

Boil 58 grams of water in a tea kettle or on a stovetop. Immediately pour the boiling water on top of the flour.

With a silicone spatula, immediately mix the flour and boiling water until the flour is gelatinized, thoroughly mixed, and forms a thick paste.

Cover and let the yudane cool until your levain is ripe. It’s that easy!

Yudane mixed in bowl — Yudane mixed in a bowl

3. Mix the Dough

Once the levain ripens, add the following ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment:

220 grams of bread flour
27 grams of granulated sugar
5 grams of sea salt
59 grams of whole milk, room temperature
All of the ripe sweet levain
All of the cooled yudane
Two eggs, room temperature
One TBSP of finely grated orange zest (or lemon)

On low speed, begin to mix the dough.

Mix for a few minutes to incorporate the flour. The dough will still be very rough and shaggy. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for ten minutes. This rest will help relax some of the gluten and hydrate the flour.

After the rest, mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes more cohesive.

Brioche dough at start of mixing on dough hook — Brioche dough start of mixing dough hook

4. Add Butter & Mix

Slice the 85 grams (6 TBS) of room-temperature unsalted butter into six tablespoon-sized pieces.

Add one tablespoon of butter at a time into the mixer on medium speed until it is fully incorporated (30 seconds to a minute). Repeat with the remaining butter.

After adding all of the butter, continue mixing the dough for at least five more minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test. The dough should be silky smooth and slide off of the dough hook.

Slab of softened butter on butter knife over stand mixer — Softened butter on butter knife

Hand pulling sourdough brioche dough for windowpane test — Softened butter on butter knife

Note: If your butter is too warm, it will not mix into the dough and will remain greasy. Refrigerate it for a few minutes to harden up. Conversely, if the butter takes too long to incorporate and is too cold, zap it in the microwave at half-power for 10-second intervals.

5. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a medium mixing bowl, gather it into a round, cover it, and place it in a warm location to proof.

Note: My Brød & Taylor proofer works perfectly to keep the dough at a consistent temperature. Similarly, an instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen is a great tool to check your dough temperature throughout bulk fermentation.

At 78ºF, bulk fermentation (first proof) takes about 4 to 4.5 hours total.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Contrarily, in warmer conditions, bulk fermentation will be faster.

Brioche dough in mixing bowl at start of proofing — Dough at the start of bulk fermentation

After one hour, perform one stretch and fold on the dough. This dough benefits from the additional strength a simple stretch and fold provides.

To stretch and fold:

Use your hand as pincers to pull up a portion of the dough.
Lift the dough to stretch it, then fold it down in the middle of the bowl.
Rotate the bowl 90º and repeat this motion three more times.

Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough doubles, domes in the bowl, and visible bubbles are on top of and around the dough.

Stretch and fold of sourdough brioche dough in mixing bowl — Stretch and fold in bowl

Proofed brioche dough in bowl — Stretch and fold in bowl

Note: See my Bulk Fermentation 101 guide for a detailed analysis and more clues on how to know bulk fermentation is complete.

6. Overnight Proof

Cover the bowl and place it into a refrigerator to proof overnight, 8-12 hours.

Note: Proofing this dough overnight in the refrigerator adds a more complex flavor. Furthermore, the cold dough is easier to divide and shape. It also allows you to bake the rolls at a later time according to your own schedule.

However, if you want to skip the overnight proof, you can. Move on to dividing and shaping your buns next, and cut the final proof time down to 2-3 hours or until ready to bake.

7. Divide and Shape the Maritozzi

Prep the Baking Sheet

Place a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the half-sheet pan.

Divide the Dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. It will be hardened up from the cold fat, but it should be easy to remove from the bowl. Use a bowl scraper to scrape any remaining sticky bits and place them on top of the dough.

Next, weigh the entire dough on a baking scale. Divide the weight by 10. Each of your buns should weigh this amount. Mine typically weigh about 65-70 grams each.

Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into ten equal pieces.

Bench scraper and multiple unshaped sourdough brioche buns — Divided brioche dough before shaping

How to Shape Maritozzi

Shaping maritozzi is easy and doesn’t require special equipment or much technique. The dough is very buttery at this stage, so lightly flour your surface area and hands. Cold dough shapes more easily.

Press one piece of dough into a flat rectangle or square on a lightly floured surface.
Pinch the four corners of the dough into the center to create a small dumpling-like ball.
Turn the ball over and roll it on a lightly floured surface to create surface tension until the dough comes together into a perfect sphere.
Repeat with the remaining buns.

Evenly space the rolls on the baking sheet.

Brioche dough flattened into a square — 1: Flatten the dough into a square

Hand pinching corners of bun together to make a dumpling — 1: Flatten the dough into a square

8. Final Proof

Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap and place it in a warm location for the final proof (second rise). I cover mine with these plastic-proofing bags that fit a baking sheet and can be reused.

As the buns rise, they will stick to the plastic wrap, so it’s helpful to lightly spray the wrap with oil.

Since the buns don’t fit in my bread proofer, I proof them in the oven with the light on. I also keep a digital thermometer by them to watch the temperature.

At 78ºF, the final proof takes about 4-4.5 hours. The buns are finished proofing when they’ve doubled in size, feel full of air, and pass the finger poke test.

To finger poke test: First, poke a bun with a floured finger. They’re properly proofed when the dough leaves a slight indentation that slowly fills in. If the dough springs back immediately, they are under-proofed and need more time.

Proofed Sourdough maritozzi on baking sheet doubled in size — Proofed Sourdough maritozzi on baking sheet, doubled in size.

9. Bake

Near the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).

Make an egg wash by whisking one egg and a splash of water in a small bowl.

Once the oven is preheated, use a pastry brush to delicately brush the egg wash on the buns. The buns are very delicate at this stage, so be gentle as you brush them. The egg wash will help the buns brown and impart a shiny, golden crust.

Brushing an egg wash on a sourdough maritozzo before baking — Brushing egg wash on bun

Bake the maritozzi buns for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls reads 200ºF (93ºC).

Cool on a wire rack completely.

Note: If you want even more shine to your rolls, brush the buns with some simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) while still hot!

Baking sheet of 10 baked sourdough maritozzi — Sourdough maritozzi buns cooling on baking sheet

10. Make Vanilla Whipped Cream

This whipped cream is extremely simple and classic to make. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or a hand whisk if you want an arm workout.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the following until stiff peaks form:

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
3 TBS of confectioner’s/powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Stiff peaks in whipped cream form when upright peaks appear on the end of the whisk and there are distinct, clear trails in the cream. You want this cream to be whipped to stiff peaks so it can be easily transferred into the maritozzi.

Note: For a thicker, luxurious whipped cream, cut the heavy whipping cream in half and add a ½ cup of mascarpone.

Furthermore, you could add a couple of tablespoons of malted milk powder, orange or lemon extract, a touch of rose or orange blossom water, or some cocoa powder for a chocolate maritozzi.

Mixed whipped cream with stiff peaks in a bowl with a spatula — Whipped cream in mixing bowl at the end of mixing

Hand holding a whisk attachment with stiff peaks of whipped cream on it — Whipped cream in mixing bowl at the end of mixing

11. Slice and Assemble the Maritozzi

When the buns are completely cool and just before consuming, assemble the maritozzi.

Use a serrated knife to slice the maritozzi buns vertically, almost in half. Don’t cut through the entire bun, as you want to keep the base intact. You should end up with a Pac-Man-like bun.

Note: You can also slice the buns diagonally, but I find the whipped cream leaks out if not consumed immediately.

Hand holding a sliced Sourdough maritozzo partly open — Using an offset spatula to make the filling flush

Using an offset spatula to make the whipped cream flush on maritozzo — Using an offset spatula to make the filling flush

Open the buns and use a piping bag or a spoon to fill the bun openings with 2-3 TBS of whipped cream. Make the cream flush with the buns by using an offset spatula or butter knife.

Clean up the edges of the whipped cream to tidy the maritozzi.

Finally, dust with powdered sugar and buon appetito!

Sourdough maritozzo dusted with powdered sugar on a plate

How to Eat Maritozzi

I will admit that eating a maritozzo can get a little messy!

You can slice the maritozzi in half with a knife and eat with a fork, but they’re best eaten with your hands like a hot dog. So, grab a napkin!

Maritozzi are often consumed at breakfast in Rome, but can be eaten as a snack or afternoon treat. They’re an entertaining treat served to guests, and I like to slice and fill them individually or have guests fill their own (even better).

Filling them right before serving prevents the buns from drying out and the whipped cream from leaking.

Other Maritozzi Fillings and Toppings

Vanilla, lightly sweetened whipped cream is the most common filling for maritozzi, but you can make maritozzi with various flavors.

Fruit: Fill the maritozzi with a few pieces of sliced fresh fruit like strawberries, or add a tablespoon of your favorite jam. Stuff with whipped cream. Dust with ground or powdered dried fruit like dehydrated raspberries.

Chocolate: Add 2 TBS cocoa powder to the whipped cream to make a chocolate whipped cream filling and top the maritozzi with chocolate shavings.

Coffee: Include two teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the heavy whipping cream and dust with finely ground coffee or a complimentary spice like cinnamon or allspice.

Sourdough Maritozzi FAQs:

Can you double this recipe?

Yes. It’s easy to double this recipe to make 18 maritozzi. Halving will be more challenging to mix in a stand mixer due to the low amounts, so I would not recommend halving the recipe.

Can I use sourdough discard to make maritozzi?

An active and ripe sourdough starter is always recommended in yeasted recipes like maritozzi because it is the primary leavening agent. Sourdough discard is overly acidic and has lost most of its leavening power. Thus, discard will compromise the structure and flavor of these buns.

What other flavors or toppings can I add to maritozzi?

While vanilla whipped cream is most traditional, maritozzi can have many flavors and garnishes!

A dusting of matcha powder, ground dried rose petals, or powdered dried raspberry or strawberry always looks elegant.

You can also fill the buns with your favorite jam, fresh fruit, or top with chocolate shavings.

Do I have to use a sweet levain?

No, but if your sourdough starter is acidic and leaves a very sour flavor in most of your baked goods, then you may want to. Otherwise, you can use about 120 grams of sourdough starter in this recipe.

How do you store maritozzi?

Maritozzi are best served and eaten immediately once filled with whipped cream. However, the buns can be frozen for months in advance and thawed before serving.

Sourdough maritozzi with whipped cream dusted with powdered sugar

What Questions Do You Have About Sourdough Maritozzi?

Leave your questions or comments in the discussion below.

Multiple sourdough maritozzi with whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar

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