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Ensaymada
Sweet cheese brioche
Ensaymada: coiled butter brioche with sugar and grated cheese
Filipino bakeries took the coiled Mallorcan ensaïmada and made it richer and softer: an egg-yolk brioche rolled with butter into a snail, baked pale gold, then spread with more butter, dusted with sugar and heaped with finely grated cheese. Boxes of them are carried to Christmas visits and town fiestas, and a single one with hot tsokolate makes a proper merienda. The salty cheese against the sweet crumb is the whole point. Chef's tip: the dough must be sticky and soft when you knead it; adding flour until it is easy to handle gives you dry, bready buns instead of feather-light ones.
- Total time
- 170 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- ¼ oz instant yeast
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 16 oz bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ⅞ oz unsalted buttervery soft
For rolling and topping
- 3 ½ oz unsalted buttersoftened, for rolling and spreading
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ oz edam or mild cheddarvery finely grated
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Stir ¼ oz instant yeast and a pinch of 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar into ¾ cup whole milk and leave for 5 minutes, until foamy.
5 minStep 2: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 16 oz bread flour, the rest of 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add the milk mixture and 5 egg yolks and mix to a shaggy dough.
3 minStep 3: Knead for 8 minutes on medium speed (12–15 by hand), then add 3 ⅞ oz unsalted butter a spoonful at a time, kneading until each piece disappears. The dough is ready when it is glossy, sticky and stretches thin without tearing.
15 minStep 4: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
60 minStep 5: Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into a thin rectangle about 30 × 10 cm, brush with 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter, roll up from the long side into a rope and coil it into a snail, tucking the end underneath.
20 minStep 6: Set the coils in greased 10 cm tins or on a lined tray, cover loosely and leave until puffy and almost doubled, 45–60 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
50 minStep 7: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until pale golden on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped. Keep them pale; dark ensaymada has dried out.
17 minStep 8: While still slightly warm, spread each bun with the rest of 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter, sprinkle with 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar and press a generous mound of 3 ½ oz edam or mild cheddar on top. They keep in an airtight box for 2 days.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ensaymada take?
- About 170 minutes in total: 150 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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