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Mallorcas
Mallorcas: Puerto Rican coiled sweet egg rolls with icing sugar
In Old San Juan's old-fashioned cafés and neighbourhood bakeries serve mallorcas split, pressed on a hot griddle with butter and buried in icing sugar, often with a slice of melted cheese inside for a sweet-salty breakfast (many cheeses are made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian one). The dough is rich with egg yolks, milk and butter, coiled like a snail shell so it bakes into soft, pull-apart layers. The common mistake is under-proving the coils, which gives tight, bready rolls instead of feathery ones. Chef's tip: brush the coils with melted butter before the last rise and again straight out of the oven; that buttery skin is what holds the snowy sugar.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup whole milkwarm
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 4 ½ oz unsalted butter90 g soft for the dough, 40 g melted for brushing
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor the bowl
To finish
- 2 ⅛ oz icing sugar
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Stir 1 cup whole milk, ¼ oz instant dried yeast and a pinch of 2 ⅞ oz sugar together and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. Beat in the rest of 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 4 egg yolks.
5 minStep 2: Put 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl, pour in the milk mixture and mix to a soft, sticky dough. Knead for 8 minutes, then add the 90 g of soft 3 ¼ oz unsalted butter a little at a time, kneading for 5 minutes more until the dough is glossy and smooth.
13 minStep 3: Put it in a bowl greased with 1 tsp vegetable oil, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1.5–2 hours, until doubled.
100 minStep 4: Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into a rope about 40 cm long, then coil it loosely into a flat spiral and tuck the end underneath. Space them on two lined trays.
Step 5: Brush the coils with half the melted ⅔ oz unsalted butter, cover loosely and prove for 45 minutes until puffy and almost doubled. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
45 minStep 6: Bake for 15–18 minutes until golden on top and the bottoms sound hollow.
17 minStep 7: Brush straight away with the rest of the melted ⅔ oz unsalted butter and sift 2 ⅛ oz icing sugar thickly over. Serve warm, or split and toast on a griddle before dusting.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mallorcas take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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