Ensaimada

Name: Ensaimada
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: ¼ oz yeast; 7 oz superfine sugar; 2 eggs; 1.3 lb bread flour; Drizzle vegetable oil; 3 ½ oz lard

A weekend Spanish dessert. Ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes. Difficulty: more effort.

1 hr 30 minPrep (about)
20 minCook (about)
1 hr 50 minTotal time
4Servings
More effortDifficulty

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Ingredients

How many people?

− 7 people +

Changed from 4 to 7 people · Back to 4

Fresh & other

⅓ oz yeast
12 oz superfine sugar Shopping tip: Superfine sugar (UK: caster). Regular sugar works.
4 eggs
2.3 lb bread flour Shopping tip: Bread flour (UK: strong flour).
6 oz lard

Sauces & oils

Drizzle vegetable oil

How to make it

Steps in our own plain words.

Pour ¾ cup + 3 tbsp lukewarm water into a bowl.
Add the yeast.
Leave to stand for 3 mins.
Add the 1 tsp sea salt, flour, eggs and caster sugar flakes.
Mix to form a dough.
Knead.
Keep going for 10 mins in stand mixer using dough hook (or 15 mins by hand) till your dough is elastic enough.
Do it to be almost see-through when stretched.
Cover.
Set aside to rest for 30 mins.
Cut into four equal pieces.
Move to a baking tray lined using baking parchment.
Leave to rest for another 30 mins.
Working using one portion of dough each time, flatten it against your surface using the palm of your hand.
Roll it out in a thin rectangle, about 30 x 20 inches.
Let it rest.
Keep going for 2 mins while you spread quarter of the lard over the top.
Pull one corner of your flattened dough plus stretch it out as it will go without breaking.
Repeat every 4 inches or so around your dough rectangle in every direction till it reaches about 50 x 28 inches.
From there, begin rolling the dough till you have a long pastry snake.
Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.
Take your first roll of dough and stretch it till it is over a metre long.
Roll it up in a spiral, leaving ½ inch between every turn of your spiral so the dough can expand.
Flatten a little.
Move to a sheet pan lined with baking parchment.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Leave to rise in warm place.
Keep going for at least 12 hrs, or 24 hrs.
Turn the oven on to 400°F (350°F for a fan oven).
Put your ensaimadas in top third of the oven and right away reduce your temperature to 350°F (325°F for a fan oven).
Bake for 18 mins until dark golden.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To fill your ensaimada using whipped cream, slice and open.
Spread over the cream and close.
Dust using generous amount of icing, if you like.
Cut into pieces to serve.