Spanish gastronomy is a true mosaic full of flavors, ingredients, techniques and cooking methods where each region contributes its identity characteristics through dishes and sweets that have managed to endure and maintain themselves throughout all these years.
Examples of this are the pintxosvery protagonists in the north of Spain; the stew which Madrid residents like so much when winter invades the city; the paella classic of the Valencians that does not fail any day of the year; or that gazpacho refreshing that comes in like water during the Andalusian summer. In this sense, each community, whether through its local products or its historical, cultural and, of course, gastronomic tradition, ensures that people in Spain do not eat like anywhere else.
The ensaimada from Mallorca, a product highly envied by the rest of Spaniards
Within this great diversity, Balearic gastronomy occupies a very special place. Apart from having the presence of dreamlike landscapes, the islands are lucky to have a series of ingredients based on the freshness of the sea and the orchards.. At the same time, sweets are very prominent within this panorama, and it is worth highlighting one that all Spaniards love: the ensaimada of Mallorca.
This sweet has become a Spanish classic much envied by others. It is very simple, but its flavor makes all diners forget about it. Basically, it is a piece of fine, light and spiral pastry, made with a soft and spongy dough, lightly sugared and with a touch of lard. Regarding its origin, it should be noted that we must go back to the 17th centurya time in which European confectionery was experiencing a stage of remodeling and variation.
The ingredients of the Mallorcan ensaimadas
Next, it will be presented a list with all the ingredients to make an ensaimada homemade very similar to those in Mallorca:
- 500 grams of wheat flour.
- 150 milliliters of water of time.
- 100 grams of sugar.
- Three eggs.
- 125 grams of lard.
- 15 grams of fresh yeast.
This is how to cook an ensaimada from Mallorca
The first thing to do will be prepare the dough. Here, you will have to take a bowl where you will have to dissolve the fresh yeast in the water. Subsequently, the flour will be combined with the sugar and the eggs and the yeast will have to be added little by little. After about fifteen minutes of kneading, the texture will be soft and elastic. The next thing will be the first restwhere you will have to cover the base with a clean cloth and let it rest for an hour; With this process its volume will increase.
After that, it will be time to form the spiral: Divide the mas into portions, stretch each one and make very fine rectangle shapes and spread a light layer of lard. With this, you will have to roll each one on itself and make the shape of a spiral. Now it will be time the second rest. The spirals should be placed on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and allowed to rest for around 30 or 40 minutes until they grow a little more.
The baking It’s very simple. The oven will be preheated to about 180 ºC and the sweet will have to be heated for about 20 minutes, until it turns golden brown. It is advisable to avoid browning too much because otherwise it could lose its spongy texture. And finally, the presentation. When they have been cooked, let them cool and, if desired, sprinkle with icing sugar before serving. In turn, it can be complemented with cream, angel hair or chocolate.