Buccellato, Sweet Christmas

In Palermo the sweet for Christmas is the Buccellato or cucciddatu. Is apparently a simple cake, made with pastry, but it contains within itself flavors that speak of Sicily. Figs, raisins, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, orange etc.
The form generally is a donut, decorated with honey and pistachios or from icing sugar. I buccellatini (small pieces of buccellati)are also covered in white icing sugar and colored sugar "diavoletti".

This cake originates from the country world, perhaps from the "panificatus" of the Old Romans, its name is derived from the Latin "buccellatum" bread cut in pieces.
As for the filling, you can think of Arab origin since it is an association of traditional flavors of this cuisine.

There are several recipes Buccellato, where there may be slight variations in both the dough (you can use butter or lard, some people put ammonia, but I do not recommend), some people in the filling joins all the ingredients with jam, others with honey, some with an egg yolk, some people add chocolate, cinnamon or cloves. The decor may vary too..

Ingredients:

500 gr. 00 of flour, 300 gr. butter, 200 gr. sugar, 3 eggs, 1 dl milk, half cup of Marsala wine, 300 gr. figs, 200 gr. raisins, 100g. of sultana raisins, 150 gr. shelled walnuts, 30 gr. of pine nuts, 30 gr. of candied orange peel, 100 gr. candied pumpkin, chocolate fondant to 50gr flakes, 150gr of toasted almonds, orange marmalade, a pinch of cinnamon.

Procedure:

kneading the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and milk. When everything is well amalgamated, let stand for about an hour in the refrigerator.

For the filling grind dried figs, sultanas, raisins, tree nuts, pine nuts, the orange peel, pumpkin, almonds, mix and put on fire along with the Marsala wine for about ten minutes. Outside the fire add three tablespoons of orange marmalade and allow to cool.

Pave the dough (1 cm thick) into a rectangle, place the stuffing, distribute the flakes of chocolate and wrap-shaped donut. Affect the surface with cuts that show the filling.
The Buccellato must be placed on a floured baking dish, in preheated oven at 180 ° for about half an hour. You can then garnish in several ways:
Dissolve 4-5 tablespoonfuls of honey, put it on the surface of the
Buccellato to make it glossy and garnish with candied fruit mixture.

Put on the surface of the Buccellato, a tablespoon of orange marmalade dissolved in water, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios and put in the oven for another five minutes.
Put on the surface of the Buccellato icing sugar.

The choice is yours
Allow to cool and good appetite!