Ensaimada

• dry yeast↗5g g

  (or 16 g fresh yeast)

• granulated sugar↗200g g
• free-range eggs↗2 medium
• strong white bread flour↗600g g
• vegetable oil↗

  for the work surface and rolling pin

• pork lard↗100g g

  softened (or 50 g if using sobrassada as filling)

• sobrassada from Mallorca50g g

  (cured, soft spreadable sausage)

• whipped cream↗200ml ml
• powdered sugar3 tbsp tbsp

  (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Pour 230 ml of warm water into a bowl and add the yeast. Let stand for 3 min, then add the granulated sugar, eggs, flour and 1 tsp sea salt in coarse crystals. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for 10 min in a mixer with a hook (or 15 min by hand) until the dough is sufficiently elastic, almost transparent when stretched. Cover and let rest for 30 min, then cut into four equal pieces. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment. Let rest another 30 min.

2. 2

   Grease the work surface and rolling pin with vegetable oil. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten it on the surface with your hand, then roll it into a thin rectangle about 30 × 50 cm. Let rest for 2 min while you spread a quarter of the lard on top. (If you want to fill the pastry with sobrassada, mix 50 g of lard with the sobrassada and spread this mixture over the dough.) Pull one corner of the flattened dough and stretch it as far as possible without tearing. Repeat every ~10 cm around the rectangle in all directions until you reach approximately 50 × 70 cm.

3. 3

   Cut a strip from each short side and place them side by side along one of the long sides of the rectangle; this is what we call the “heart” of the ensaimada. Then begin to roll the dough until you obtain a long “snake” of dough. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

4. 4

   Take the first dough roll and stretch it to a length of over a metre. Then coil it into a spiral, leaving 1 cm between each turn so the dough can expand. Slightly flatten and transfer to a parchment‑lined tray. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let rise in a warm place for at least 12 h, ideally 24 h.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with fan/gas 6. Place the ensaimadas in the upper third of the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 180 °C/160 °C with fan/gas 4. Bake for 18 min until dark‑golden. Let cool on a rack. To fill the ensaimada with whipped cream, cut it open, spread the cream inside and close. Optionally dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into serving portions.