Passport & Plate - Ensaimadas con Cabello de Ángel
Spain | Friday, February 14, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
The ingredients to make 1 large ensaimada, or several smaller ones:
• 750 g all-purpose/plain flour
• 75 g granulated sugar
• 15 g (~3 tbsp) dried active yeast
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 250 ml warm whole milk
• 3 x eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150-200 g soft pork lard
• 400 g tin of dulce de cabello de angel (sweetened pumpkin, or “angel hair”)
• Icing sugar, for dusting
How to prepare this recipeSift the flour into a large bowl, and make a well in the centre. Fill it with the sugar and yeast. Pour in the warm milk. Cover the bowl with Clingfilm, and leave for about 15 minutes. The yeast should be bubbly, and when you take the Clingfilm off, it should smell booze-y.
Mix everything well with a wooden spoon, and add in the olive oil and eggs, and continue to mix until a dough is formed. Knead well by hand until everything comes together, and cover with Clingfilm. Leave somewhere warm for about 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Flip the dough onto a well floured surface, and sprinkle with flour. Separate into approximately 8-12 equal pieces, cover with Clingfilm, and leave to rest and rise again for about 30 minutes. This step isn’t mandatory, but it does make for an airier dough.
Take one dough ball and roll it out into a thin shape that remotely resembles a circle. Don’t forget to keep on flouring your rolling pin and surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Brush the circle generously with pork lard, all over one side, and then on top spread some cabello de ángel. From one side of the circle, roll the dough as tightly as possible, so that it resembles a long log. Then keep one end of the log in place, and roll the dough around that end so that a bun with the shape of a snail’s shell is achieved. Tuck the end that sticks out underneath the bun.
Do this with the remaining dough balls. However, if you want one large ensaimada, simply treat the whole dough in the same fashion.
Line a baking tray (or two) with parchment paper (non-stick, of course), and place your ensaimadas about 10 cm apart from one another. Brush each one generously with pork lard, and cover with Clingfilm. Leave to rise for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, and bake the ensaimadas for about 15 minutes and until the outside is golden brown. Dust generously with icing sugar, and enjoy the taste of Mallorca, whilst warm, with an espresso. ¡Buen provecho!
The story behind this recipeIn 2011 I worked in Mallorca as an au pair. I won’t ever forget my first day when I was allowed to take the car to explore the local area. Unfortunately, Mallorca is famed for its nightclubs and drunken British tourists, but it is an incredibly beautiful country steeped in rich culture, history and tradition.
I parked up and strolled down the narrow cobbled streets on a quiet weekday morning. A subtle smell of coffee and pastries penetrated my nostrils. I have a keen sense of smell for anything food-related, so I followed this delicious scent down an even narrower alleyway into what appeared to be a hidden square. Most of the shops weren’t open yet and many of the flats still had their shutters closed. But I was right on top of this scrumptious smell and it was emanating from a quaint little bakery. Inside I could hear the clanging of kitchenware and the characteristic Spanish drawl from who I presume was the head baker, donning a white but flour-stained apron.
I was drawn to the place, which was rather dark inside due to the walnut coloured décor and is characteristically Spanish. I tentatively poked my head around the door, to which the baker inside welcomed me in. Startled, I fumbled for my Spanish words and greeted him back. “¿Puedo ayudarle, señorita?” I asked him if I could try something typically Mallorcan, and he exclaimed that I simply had to try an “ensaimada con cabello de ángel.” “Cabello de ángel” means “angel hair” and I wasn’t certain what it was at the time (it’s shredded pumpkin), but I went for it. He offered a strong espresso, to which I declined. He wouldn’t have it and told me that “es un típico desayuno Mallorquín.”
I sat outside and sipped on my espresso; despite my aversion to coffee, I can see why these make a great pairing. I raised my cup and smiled to the baker. ¡Qué te disfrutes!” he smiled back. Making these at home always takes me back to that square in the heart of Mallorca, where I began my adventure as a true local.
