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Ensaïmada
Spiral sweet breakfast pastry
Ensaïmada de Mallorca: the island's feather-light spiral breakfast pastry made with pork lard
SpanishThis contains pork: the name comes from saïm, the pork lard brushed over the dough before it is coiled, and it is what gives an ensaïmada its shattering, flaky layers. Mallorcans eat them for breakfast with hot chocolate or coffee, and at Palma airport you will see travellers carrying flat hexagonal boxes of large ones home as gifts. The dough is enriched with egg and sugar, stretched until thin enough to see through, rolled into a rope and wound into a loose spiral, then proved overnight. Chef's tip: oil your hands and the worktop generously before stretching, so the dough slides rather than sticks and tears.
- Total time
- 78 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggsbeaten
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp light olive oilfor the worktop and hands
For shaping
- 5 ½ oz pork lardvery soft, like thick cream
- 1 ⅜ oz icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 3 ½ oz sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add the 2 eggs and ¾ cup lukewarm water and knead for 10–12 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and stretches into a thin sheet without tearing. Cover and leave for 1 hour until doubled.
70 minStep 2: Divide into 8 pieces, shape into balls, cover and rest for 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
15 minStep 3: Rub the worktop and your hands with the 2 tbsp light olive oil. Roll one ball into a thin oval, then lift and stretch it gently from underneath with your knuckles until it is almost transparent, about 40 × 30 cm.
30 minStep 4: Spread the sheet thinly with an eighth of the 5 ½ oz pork lard. Roll it up from a long side into a tight rope, then gently stretch the rope a little longer. A common mistake is using cold, hard lard; it tears the thin dough instead of gliding over it.
15 minStep 5: Coil each rope loosely into a snail on lined trays, leaving a finger's width between turns and plenty of room around each. Cover loosely and prove in a cool room overnight (10–12 hours), or 4–5 hours somewhere warm, until tripled and very puffy.
600 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F. Mist the pastries lightly with water and bake for 15–18 minutes until golden and they sound hollow underneath.
18 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then dust thickly with the 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar. They are best the same day.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ensaïmada take?
- About 78 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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