Sourdough Brioche Ravazzata with Venison Ragu

I was recently turned on to Ravazzata, a traditional street food found in Palermo. The experience is like what would happen if an arancino and a sloppy joe had a baby. There are both fried and baked versions but I opted to go with a baked version for my first attempt using a sourdough brioche recipe inspired by Artisan Bryan. The ragu is mostly traditional, with the exception of swapping out beef for ground venison.

The filling

1 lb ground beef (or venison)

Half of a yellow onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

6 oz tomato paste

1 cup of frozen peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Cubed provolone, caciocavallo, or your cheese of choice

Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil for a few minutes until soft. Spoon in the tomato paste and work into the mixture. Add just a little more olive oil if you find it hard to work with but it is important that the ragu stays on the drier side to make filling the ravazzata easier. After sauteing a few more minutes add in the ground meat and keep turning until it browns evenly. Add in the peas and cook for a few more minutes, turning frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool and put it into the refrigerator to firm it up before filling.

The dough

250g Bread flour

250g All purpose flour

250g active levain

115g cold water

170g unsalted butter

175g eggs (approximately 3-4 eggs)

150g sugar

15g salt

I based the recipe off of a sourdough brioche recipe from Artisan Bryan and made a few modifications to make it more savory and less aromatic. I think it will take a few more iterations to get it perfect, but I was pleased with how it turned out for a first attempt.

2pm Day 1

Cube the butter. Mix all of you dry and wet ingredients into a mixer/kitchenaid. Start off on the slowest setting and gradually increase the speed. The dough is going to be really wet and sticky but try to avoid adding more flour. Mix for about 10-15 minutes to properly develop the dough. 

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl or container and allow to rise at room temperature for about 6 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator and cold ferment overnight for about 10 hours. 

7am Day 2

Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften a little for about 20 - 30 mins so it’s easier to work with. Gently flour your work surface and remove the dough from the bowl. Gently dust the top of the dough. Now divide the dough into individual bun size balls (approx 130g each). These will proof with the filling for another 4 hrs.

Assembly

Using your fingertips gently press each ball down to form something that looks like a large pancake. The edges should be slightly thinner than the middle as they will be folded up over onto each other after filling. Fill each dough round with a few spoonfuls of ragu and top each with the cubed cheese. Gently bring up the edges of the dough, around the ragu, and use your fingers to seal it together. Flip the whole thing over so that the smoother bottom now becomes the top, and transfer to a parchment lined baking tray gently dusted with semolina. 

Brush each bun with an egg wash and sprinkle a generous amount of sesame seeds all over the top surface. Set aside and proof for another 4 hours at room temperature.

Baking

Set your oven to 400F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until light to medium brown depending on your preference. Best enjoyed while still hot.