Hello dears! As is customary at Paulina Cocina, we go through different regions and their traditional recipes. Today we have the beautiful Balearic Islands, located in the middle of the Mediterranean, and their wonderful recipe for Mallorcan ensaimada.
I invite you to join me in making this homemade recipe that takes time and is somewhat difficult, but I can assure you that it is worth it from the first bite.
About the ensaimada recipe
As we already know, in general it is very difficult to find the exact origin of some recipes. In this case, there are two stories that are very likely. In any case, I do not want to delude you… Possibly, if we start looking, we will find many more.
Let’s talk about its origin
According to some historians, the ensaimadas They were born around the 5th century BC in Athens. This version indicates that the creator of this large and sweet spiral-shaped bun is a pastry chef who devised this recipe to offer to the Greek gods.
The origin is also attributed to a legend that says that in 1229 a Jewish pastry chef gave this bun to Jaume I to try during the reconquest of Mallorca.
The truth is that due to its shape it can also have other origins, including Christian since it resembles the donuts that are made to commemorate certain religious events.
About the Mallorcan ensaimada
In the case of the ensaimada of Majorca As we know it today, its appearance was documented in the 12th century. Today it is a typical Mallorcan sweet and has come to be consumed by all social classes. It is almost an obligation to take one if you go to those places.
It is said that the plastic artist Joan MirĆ³ brought the artist Pablo Picasso a 40 cm ensaimada the day they met at the request of the latter’s mother. Perhaps it is because of this or perhaps not, the truth is that from that moment they shared a great friendship.
What’s the meaning of your name?
The Royal Academy defines the ensaimada as a bun formed by a strip of puff pastry arranged in a spiral.
etymologically the word ensaimada comes from the Arabic term āsaimā which later led to “Saim”, which in Majorcan means fat or lard. It is logical considering the large amount of this product that this recipe contains.
the original recipe
It is believed that in Antiquity, it was made with the flour that we know today as integral. Egg, sugar and butter from which it gets its name were mixed with it.
Both before and now, the production process is very careful. It is generally consumed for breakfast or a snack. The best way to serve them is cold.
Some tips for the filling
The Mallorcan ensaimada is also stuffed, in fact it is one of the most popular forms. It can be the classic filling of angel hair, pastry cream or chocolate. Some places even use savory fillings.
If your idea is to make it with pastry cream, I recommend this super easy and quick recipe How to make pastry cream in 5 minutes
The filling, whatever it is, is added exactly after spreading the dough with the lard. It is important to add a generous amount of the chosen filling so that it has a presence in the ensaimada.
Then follow the steps of the recipe normally.
Mallorcan ensaimada recipe
- Yield: 6 personas
- Total processing time: 12 hours and 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 400 gr of flour of strength
- 15 gr of fresh yeast
- 1 egg
- 150 gr of water
- 120 grams of sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 200 gr of lard at room temperature
- Icing sugar to sprinkle at the end
How to prepare ensaimada
- Put the warm water in a small bowl and use it to undo the yeast.
- In a large bowl, pour the flour and add the diluted yeast, beaten egg, salt and sugar. Knead until you get a smooth dough. This will take approximately 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare a bowl greased with oil.
- Make a ball with the dough and put it in the oiled bowl, leaving it there for 1 hour so that it doubles its volume.
- After this time, knead to remove excess air.
- Divide into 6 portions and knead each one well until they are stretched.
- Spread each of the portions with the lard until creating a layer on the entire surface of the dough.
- Form a not very thick cord with each of the masses, let rise for 1 hour.
- Once this time has elapsed, stretch the laces achieved a little more so that they are thin and roll them into a spiral.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper (or parchment paper).
- Place the spirals in the dish with a separation of approximately 3 cm.
- Put the tray with the ensaimadas in the oven and let it rise for 10 hours.
Cooking of the ensaimada recipe
- Put the empty oven to preheat to 180 degrees.
- Before putting the ensaimadas, brush with a little water.
- Leave them cooking for about 10/15 minutes.
- Check that they are not toasted too much.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Presentation of the Mallorcan ensaimada
Once cold, sprinkle the ensaimadas with icing sugar. They can also be covered in chocolate.
Source: www.paulinacocina.net
