Modena Bensone: the recipe for the Modena best dessert

The Modena Bensone is a typical specialty of the city of Modena, Emilia Romagna (Italy), perhaps the oldest dessert of these areas. It is a simple and genuine dry dessert, made with poor and easily available ingredients: flour, milk, eggs, butter and honey (subsequently replaced by sugar). The original version of this dessert does not include any filling but, over the years, it has been enriched with jam or, for an even more delicious proposal, with chocolate and hazelnut spreadable cream. Serve the Modena bensone to your guests at the end of the meal, accompanied by a good coffee or a glass of Lambrusco wine, as tradition dictates; it will win over children and adults alike. So let’s find out how to prepare the Modena bensone by following our recipe step by step.

How to make Modena Bensone

Gather the flour, mixed with the baking powder, granulated sugar, diced butter and eggs in a bowl and start working with your fingertips (1).

Scent with the grated lemon zest and the aniseed liqueur, then transfer to a work surface and continue to knead with your hands until you will get a soft and compact dough (2).

Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and make a 30 cm square (3).

Fill with the chocolate and hazelnut spreadable cream (4).

With the help of a sheet of parchment paper, fold the dough, making three folds (5), and then seal the edges well.

Transfer the roll to a baking tray, lined with a sheet of parchment paper, and make a light central cut (6).

Brush the surface with the egg yolk, lightly beaten (7).

Sprinkle with the sugar grains (8) and bake in a static oven at 180 degrees C for about 35 minutes.

After the cooking time will be elapsed, take the Modena Bensone out of the oven and let it cool, then cut it into slices and serve (9).

How to store Modena Bensone

The Modena Bensone can be stored under a glass bell jar or in a special airtight container for about 4-5 days at room temperature.