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Rosquillas de San Isidro
Aniseed doughnut rings
Rosquillas de San Isidro: Madrid's "silly" and "clever" aniseed doughnut rings
Every 15 May, crowds head to the Pradera de San Isidro on Madrid's southern edge for the patron saint's festival, and stalls sell rosquillas by the dozen: plain "tontas" (silly ones) and iced "listas" (clever ones). Many families now bake them at home that week. Old recipes ice the listas with raw egg white; this one uses a lemon and icing-sugar glaze, which is safer and sets just as white. Chef's tip: oil your hands to shape the rings; the dough is soft and sticky by design.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 eggslarge
- 4 oz caster sugar
- ½ cup mild olive oilplus a little for your hands
- 1 tsp aniseedlightly crushed
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- 14 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the glaze (listas)
- 5 ½ oz icing sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking trays with baking paper. Warm 2 tablespoons of 2 tbsp mild olive oil with 1 tsp aniseed in a small pan for 1 minute, until fragrant, then let it cool and mix with the rest of ¼ cup mild olive oil.
2 minStep 2: Whisk 3 eggs and 4 oz caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened, then whisk in the aniseed oil and 1 tsp lemon zest.
Step 3: Sift in 14 oz plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder and stir to a soft dough that just holds together. A common mistake is adding extra flour to stop it sticking; the rosquillas then bake hard.
Step 4: With oiled hands, roll walnut-sized pieces into ropes about 12 cm long and join the ends into rings, making the hole wide since it closes in the oven. Space them on the trays. You should get about 24.
Step 5: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until puffed, golden on top and firm when pressed. Cool on a rack.
17 minStep 6: For the listas, whisk 5 ½ oz icing sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice to a thick, pourable glaze. Dip the tops of half the rosquillas, let the excess drip off and leave for 30 minutes, until the glaze sets white and dry. Leave the tontas plain.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rosquillas de San Isidro take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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