Before someone tries to @ me and say that these don’t look Baymax-y enough, I honestly contemplated on whether or not to post this recipe, but I ultimately settled on doing so because even if the Baymax appearance was a bit…questionable, the maritozzo themselves were actually well baked and tasted great. So if you think they look enough like Baymax, thank you for humoring me, and if not, there, I admit to it. I had the idea to make Baymax-looking maritozzo because it has been a while since the last time I made maritozzo, and I figured that with my sourdough starter being alive and well, I could go ahead and make some fun baked goods with that. Again when it comes to sourdough baking, this is a labor of patience. The dough itself is a sourdough-leavened brioche, using tons of butter and eggs to make for a rich, tender crumb. But since sourdough needs time to work its magic, this dough can take anywhere from 1 to 2 days to finish proofing. Even if you do not want to make these maritozzo vaguely look like Baymax, I will admit that this is still a fairly solid maritozzo recipe that utilizes sourdough starter, and might be one of my new favorite ways to bake with it!

For the levain:
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water

In a bowl, mix everything together. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

For the sourdough maritozzo:
levain
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups bread flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter

In a bowl, mix everything together for 15-20 minutes until the dough is firm and elastic. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature, covered, for 1 hour before transferring into the refrigerator and resting for 8-10 hours. Divide the dough into 8 even portions and shape each piece into a round bun. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart from one another on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Rest the dough at room temperature for 1 hour before attempting to bake. Right before baking, brush the egg wash on top of each ball. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow the maritozzo to fully cool before cutting out a wedge from each bun.

For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp heavy cream
a pinch of salt

Mix everything together until just combined.

For the whipped cream:
8oz heavy cream
1oz confectioner’s sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, whisk everything together until stiff peaks form. Transfer the cream to a piping bag. Start by piping ovular shapes of the cream onto parchment and freeze those solid, 2-3 hours. With the rest of the cream, keep it refrigerated.

For final assembly:
edible black marker
confectioner’s sugar

Stuff the maritozzo with generous amounts of cream, and level it off with an offset spatula. Place on top of the cream the frozen dollop and dot on the eyes with the black market. Dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar to finish.