Make ensaimadas

Ensaimadas recipe

 

Ensaimadas are traditional sweet pastries from the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Makes 16 pastries

You will need:

  • 500g plain flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 200ml warm milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g butter, softened
  • Icing sugar

    Method

    1. Put the flour, caster sugar and yeast in a large bowl and mix together.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    2. Put the warm milk in a jug and add the eggs. Mix to combine.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    3. Slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly as you go until you have a smooth dough.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and smooth (you will find this easier with wet hands).

    Ensaimadas recipe

    5.Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave to rise.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    6. After two hours, or once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and divide into 16 pieces.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    7. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball, then roll out to a circle of 15-20cm in diameter.

    8. Spread a spoon of softened butter onto the flattened dough, then roll up tightly and massage into a long sausage about 25cm in length.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    9. Roll up the sausage into a coil (not too tight) and place on a lined baking tray.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    10. Repeat steps 7 to 9 with the remaining balls of dough.

    Ensaimadas recipe

    11. Cover and leave to prove for another hour or until doubled in size.

    12. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the ensaimadas in the oven for 12 minutes until lightly golden.

    13. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and then sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

    Ensaimadas recipe