With flaky layers, sweet cinnamon and the rich flavor of Italian sourdough, these lievito madre cruffins are bakery-style perfection made at home.
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With soft, flaky layers, a cruffin is a cross between a croissant and a muffin, but baked in a muffin tin for a pretty, bakery-style shape. This version, a lievito madre cruffin, uses Italian sourdough for a subtle tang, rich aroma, and soft, tender crumb.Â
It’s a great way to use your starter for something a little different than my rustic Italian bread with lievito madre and makes a delicious cruffin with sourdough starter that is a lightly sweet, cinnamon-swirled pastry perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Surprisingly simple: Just like lievito madre pizza dough, the cruffin dough comes together easily in a stand mixer, with most of the time spent on hands-off rising.
- Worth the wait: Long fermentation from the lievito madre sourdough starter develops better flavor and texture you can’t get from cruffins made with puff pastry.
Ingredient Notes
- Lievito madre starter: Active Italian sourdough starter that adds a mild tang, rich aroma, and tender crumb. Make sure it’s recently fed and bubbly before using.
- Flour: I used 142 grams of Italian 0 and 100 grams of Italian 00 flour, but you can use all-purpose flour if you prefer.
- Lukewarm water: Helps the starter blend easily into the dough and encourages fermentation.
- Whole milk: Adds richness and softness to the crumb.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and balances the tang from the starter.
- Honey: Adds a touch of flavor and helps feed the starter for a good rise.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and controls fermentation, helping ensure balanced dough development.
- Butter: Used in the dough for softness and again in the filling to create flaky, buttery layers.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: The classic filling for a warm, sweet flavor in every bite.
Refreshing Your Lievito Madre
For the best rise and flavor in this lievito madre cruffins recipe, make sure your starter is active before baking.
Remove it from the fridge, let it come to room temperature, and discard about 100 grams. Feed with 100 grams flour, 45–50 grams lukewarm water, and ¼ teaspoon honey (optional). Knead into a compact dough, mark with a cross, and let it rise until doubled. Use the amount needed for the recipe and return the rest to the fridge.
How to Make Lievito Madre Cruffins
Start by mixing your active lievito madre with the milk and lukewarm water right in the bowl of your stand mixer. Once that’s blended, add the flour, sugar, and honey, then knead briefly to bring it together.Â
Sprinkle in the salt and keep kneading until it starts to smooth out. The butter goes in last, add it in pieces and knead until the dough is soft, elastic, and pulling away from the bowl.
Move the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover, and let it rise somewhere warm until it’s doubled. Because we’re using lievito madre, this can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, so it’s a great step to do overnight.
Once risen, roll the dough into a thin rectangle and spread with the softened butter. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Roll it up tightly from the long side. Cut the log into three pieces, wrap them in plastic, and pop them in the fridge for half an hour, this makes them easier to cut and shape.
When you’re ready, slice each piece lengthwise so you have two strips. Roll each strip into a coil with the cut side facing out.
Place them in a greased muffin tin. Cover and let them rise again until puffy and doubled, about 4 hours or more.
Bake until golden and cooked through, then move them to a wire rack. Dust lievito madre cruffins with powdered sugar while still warm if you like, and enjoy the flaky layers while they’re fresh.
tips for success
- Check your starter first: Lievito madre should be recently fed, doubled in size, and bubbly before you start mixing the dough.
- Watch the dough texture: Since lievito madre is stiffer than most starters, you may need to add a small splash of water if the dough feels too dry.
- Pan size matters: I used a 6-cup muffin pan for larger, bakery-style lievito madre cruffins. You can also use a 12-cup muffin pan for smaller ones or even a popover pan for extra-tall layers.
- Don’t rush the rises: The long fermentation time is what develops a soft, airy crumb and deep flavor you can’t get from puff pastry versions.
Cruffins Fillings & Variations
- How to fill: Once baked and slightly cooled, make a small hole in the top or side of the lievito madre cruffin with a knife or piping tip. Pipe in your favorite filling.
- Creamy filling options: Try Italian pastry cream, mascarpone cream, coffee pastry cream, or chocolate pastry cream.
- Quick & indulgent: Nutella, chocolate ganache, fruit jam, or lemon curd make easy and delicious alternatives.
- 90 grams lievito madre (active)
- 62 grams lukewarm water
- 75 grams whole milk
- 242 grams all purpose flour*
- 40 grams granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 pinch salt
- 30 grams butter softened
*I used 142 grams of Italian 0 and 100 grams Italian 00 or you can use all purpose.
EXTRAS
- 200 grams brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 75 grams butter softened
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In the stand mixer add the lievito madre, milk, water and mix together for 2 minutes. Add the flour(s), sugar and honey and knead for 1 minute, add the salt and continue to knead for 4 minutes. Add the softened butter in pieces and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for 8-12 hours or until doubled.
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In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
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Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and roll into a thin triangle 50x30cm, spread it with butter and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top. Roll the rectangle up tightly length wise, cut into 3 pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
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Remove the dough from the fridge and cut each piece down the centre (see photos). Each strip roll up, cut side up and place in a greased 6 large size muffin tin. Cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for 4 hours or more or until doubled.
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Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C.
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Brush with milk and bake for 20-30 minutes or until baked through. Immediately move to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
How to store the cruffins
Cruffins are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm briefly in a low oven to refresh the texture.
How to freeze the cruffins
Let them cool completely, then wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 459IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg | Phosphorus: 62mg
FAQs
Cruffins are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm briefly in a low oven to refresh the texture.
Yes. After the first rise and shaping, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let rise until doubled before baking. For sourdough enriched cruffins like these, freezing after shaping works better than before as iit preserves the butter layers and structure.
Absolutely. Let them cool completely, then wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
Yes. You can prepare the dough through the first rise, shape it, and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature and allow it to finish rising before baking.
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