AI-generated image
Arrufadas de Coimbra
Cinnamon sweet rolls
Arrufadas de Coimbra: soft cinnamon-scented sweet rolls from the university city
Coimbra's bakeries have sold arrufadas since convent times, and generations of university students have taken them to class wrapped in paper. They are small, pillowy sweet breads enriched with eggs and butter, flavoured with lemon and cinnamon and shaped into neat rounds with a sugary top. They are best on the day, torn open with coffee or a glass of milk. A common mistake is adding too much flour to a sticky dough, which gives dry, tight rolls instead of soft ones. Chef's tip: the dough should feel very soft and tacky; resist adding extra flour, or the rolls turn dense.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 finely grated lemon zestfrom 1 lemon
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup lukewarm milk
- 2 ⅞ oz unsalted buttersoft
To finish
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, 3 ½ oz caster sugar, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon and 1 finely grated lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the 3 eggs and ¾ cup lukewarm milk and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth.
10 minStep 2: Add the 2 ⅞ oz unsalted butter a piece at a time and knead for 5 minutes more, until the dough is glossy, soft and stretches thinly without tearing.
5 minStep 3: Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours, until doubled.
90 minStep 4: Divide into 12 pieces of about 80 g. Shape each into a tight ball, then flatten slightly and set on lined trays, 5 cm apart.
10 minStep 5: Cover loosely and leave to rise for 40 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip pressed in leaves a slow dent. Heat the oven to 375°F.
40 minStep 6: Brush with the 1 egg yolk and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with the ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until deep golden and the bases sound hollow. Cool on a rack.
18 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arrufadas de Coimbra take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Basque burnt cheesecake
This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.
Spanish
Pataniscas de bacalhauSalt cod fritters
Where pastéis de bacalhau are neat and smooth, pataniscas are rough and generous: spoonfuls of a loose batter packed with shreds of salt cod, onion and parsley, fried into wide, crisp-edged fritters. Lisbon tascas serve them at lunch with arroz de feijão, a soupy red-bean rice, or tucked into a bread roll as a snack. Soak the cod in the fridge for a day or two first. A common mistake is a batter as thick as pancake mix, which gives doughy fritters; it should drop loosely from the spoon. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 30 minutes so the flour swells and the fritters hold together without needing more.
Reform tortaWalnut meringue chocolate cake
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.