There are some typical Christmas sweets more famous and widespread than others, above all the panettone, from Milan, or the Pandoro, from Verona, which over time have managed to conquer the tables of all Italy. But the boot is full of other goodies that are prepared for the holidays to be discovered.

For example, have you ever heard of the gubana? Typical of Friuli Venezia Giulia, appears for the first time on the tables during a banquet in honor of Pope Gregory XII, then in the early fifteenth century. With a strong flavor, it is characterized by a strong alcoholic appeal, due to the presence of grappa is marsala. It is prepared on occasions of great holidays, Christmas but not only.

Preparing it takes time and a large number of ingredients, but its success is definitely worth it. If you want to know how, read the below recipe original: in our gallery, instead, some tips for variations on the topic and conservation.

The recipe for Friulian gubana

Ingredients

To prepare Friulian gubana at home, you will need: 500 g of flour 00, 130 g of whole milk, 3 g of dry yeast, 130 g of sugar, 6 medium eggs, 130 g of butter, 30 g of white grappa , 110 g of marsala, 250 g of walnut kernels, 120 g of pine nuts, 140 g of raisins, 60 g of breadcrumbs, 60 g of peeled almonds, 2 lemons (zest only), 1 orange (zest only), fine salt to taste.

Method

Start with leaven. In a bowl, sift 150 g of flour and add the yeast. Add 90 g of whole milk (at room temperature) and knead with your hands until you get a homogeneous mixture. Leave it in the bowl, covered with cling film, to rest for at least an hour.

Now, with the help of a planetary mixer, add the remaining part of the flour, 90 g of sugar and the yeast. Then 3 eggs already beaten, the grated rind of a lemon and 20 g of grappa. Begin to mix everything, using the leaf of the mixer, and meanwhile pouring the remaining part of whole milk.

When everything is well blended, replace the leaf with the hook and start kneading, adding a pinch of fine salt. Add 70 g of butter, but one piece at a time. When the dough is homogeneous and elastic, finish shaping it with your hands, then leave it in the bowl, covered with cling film, to rise for at least 3 hours, making it double in volume.

Now, in a separate bowl, soften the raisins in 100 g of Marsala for at least 20 minutes. Blend the walnut kernels with the mixer, then separately chop the almonds and finally the pine nuts. Now, in a separate pan, melt the remaining part of butter, then add the breadcrumbs, making it well toast, without burning it. Turn off the heat and leave the toasted breadcrumbs to rest. Meanwhile, drain the raisins and blend them separately. Now combine the ingredients: in a bowl, place the breadcrumbs, raisins, walnuts and pine nuts. Then the almonds, the grated rind of the other lemon, the remaining part of the grappa and the leftover Marsala.

Take 2 eggs and separate the yolks from the whites: add the yolks to the ingredients in the bowl, while the egg whites are whipped until stiff, to be added to the mixture only at the end, taking care to whip from the bottom up.

Now that the filling is ready, pick up the leavened dough. Roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, giving it a wide rectangular shape. Place the filling in the center, leaving the edges free. Open the last egg, beat it and use it to brush the edges.

Now roll the dough on itself, seal the edges to prevent the filling from leaking. Grease a pan and begin to lay the snake-shaped dough. Start from the center and begin to roll it up on itself, forming a spiral. Let it rise another half hour. Finally, brush the surface of the gubana with the remaining egg.

Sprinkle with the leftover sugar and bake in a preheated static oven at 170 ° C for about an hour. Before serving the gubana, let it rest for 10 minutes.