I am a sucker for any bread or pastry that is soft and sweet. It is Easter season, and these Easter buns recipe kicks off my 5-part series showcasing traditional Easter dishes from across the world. Our first stop is the traditional coil pastry named ensaïmada from the Mallorca islands in Spain.
Count me in when it comes to buttery baked goods. If that’s also your vibe, you should check out some other recipes such as my cinnamon donuts or flaky biscuits.
What is Ensaïmada?
It is a sugar-coated pastry popular in Mallorca (or Majorca), a part of the the Balearic islands in Spain. These buttery Easter buns or desserts are particularly common during Easter and has become an important part of every breakfast buffet across Spain.
It is made pretty much with ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry such as flour, yeast, milk etc. The one ingredient that is unique to traditional ensaïmada is the pork lard which is essentially pork fat. It is not an ingredient easily found where I live, hence, the use of soft unsalted butter in my recipe.
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Ingredients for making Ensaïmada
Flour
I would advise you use bread flour, because its higher protein content allows for a more rapid development of gluten. Otherwise, you can use all-purpose flour, you may only need to invest more time to knead the dough to aid the gluten development.
Whole Milk
This will need to be warmed up a little to aid the activation of the yeast. I used regular half and half milk, I am yet to test with low fat milk or vegan options but I don’t think these should affect the overall outcome.
Eggs
Eggs are needed to add some airiness to the dough. You will need one whole egg and a yoke.
Raising Agent
The only one needed for this recipe is Active Dry Yeast.
Pork Lard/Unsalted Butter
As advised, the traditional recipe calls for the use of saim (Mallorcan name for pork lard) in the dough. But if you are like me and cannot seem to get pork lard, these Easter buns can be made using unsalted butter.
The unsalted butter must be brought down to room temperature before being used in the dough. Some butter is also used to brush the ensaïmada before coating with sugar.
Other Ingredients
Other ingredients needed for this recipe include sugar and salt.
After the dough is prepared, it is rolled out into an inch thickness. The dough is then greased with some butter before being rolled into a log and divided into equal portions. Each portion is then rolled and shaped into a coil-like shape which is the signature look of authentic ensaïmadas.
It is true that this pastry has been associated with special celebrations such as Easter in Spain, however, it is now widely eaten all year round. These can be eaten alone, paired with some coffee or tea.
Ensaïmadas Mallorca Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk warm
- 2 eggs 1 whole + 1 yoke
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2¼ tsp dry active yeast
- 3½ cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter room temperature
Extras
- 4 tbsp milk for brushing
- 3 tbsp soft butter
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar/confectioners sugar
Instructions
- In your large mixing bowl, combine warm milk, one egg + extra yoke, sugar and yeast. Whisk till well combined.
- Add in the bread flour and salt, use a spatula to mix until the dough comes together in shaggy form.
- Toss in the softened butter, fix the dough hook on your stand mixer, begin to knead on slow speed for 10 minutes till the dough is smooth. If kneading by hand, transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until dough is smooth.
- Bring the dough together into a ball-shaped form, add a tsp of oil, cover and let it sit in a warm place to proof for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Punch out the air from the dough, transfer to clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to just an inch thickness.
- Spread on some of the soft butter over the flattened dough.
- Roll the flattened dough into a log, divide into 8-10 equal portions. These will look similar to cinnamon rolls.
- Flatten out each portion again, roll into a slim log and then coil into a snail-like shape. Repeat same process for all the dough portions.
- Lay all the rolls on a lined baking sheet, cover and let it proof again for 30-35 mins. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- When your ensaimadas have risen again, brush with milk, transfer to your preheated oven and bake it for 30 mins.
- Brush with some butter and coat with sugar. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Bread flour is preferred for this recipe because of the high protein content. In the absence of this, use all-purpose flour.
- Active dry yeast should be used as opposed to fast-acting or instant dry yeast.
