The recipe of the Cori boiled doughnut dates back to the 1950s when a couple of inhabitants of this beautiful town, Luisetta and Quinto Ciardi, started the management of a small wood-fired oven in the town centre aimed at producing bread and sweets with simple ingredients from the local territory (olive oil, sugar, flour, eggs, wine, etc.). For many years, grandma Luisetta devoted herself to her bakery products, writing down all the preparation procedures on recipe books. The 1973 recipe book, found and jealously guarded by Mrs. Barbara Ciardi, conitans the recipe for the boiled doughnut, still produced today following Luisetta’s instructions scrupulously.
The few and simple ingredients, such as 00 flour, eggs, extra virgin olive oil, and sugar, are kneaded the night before and left to rise for about 12 hours. The following day, the mixture is kneaded again with the addition of olive oil, then placed on a marble surface to be worked. With skilful manual processing, loaves of about 15 cm are obtained (three cuts are applied to obtain the idea of a flower) and then closed in a doughnut shape. After a short rest on wooden boards, the doughnuts are cooked. The term “scottolate” derives from the technique used to cook these products that, according to the original recipe, is double: the first one consists of a scalding in water, in dialect “scottolatura” or “scottolata”; the second one provides for the actual baking.
The Cori boiled doughnut, characterised by its big round flower shape, has a homogeneous brown colour. The high olfactory intensity includes hints of flour, oil and egg, combined with light roasted scents. The taste is sweet and with a slight salty note. Good crispiness and medium aromatic persistence.