Ensaymada

Saturday
7.30am
Mood: lazy

Today's breakfast I've prepared Ensaymada for the family. What is it? Well, kind of Filipino sweet bread, that's what I read from Wikipedia and originated from Spain.

The Ensaïmada (Catalan pronunciation: [ənsə.iˈmaðə], pl. ensaïmades; Spanish: ensaimada) is a pastry product from Majorca, Spain & Peru. It is a common cuisine eaten in most former Spanish territories in Latin America and the Philippines, which has been continuously made and eaten for a very long time. The first written references to the Majorcan ensaïmada date back to the 17th century. At that time, although wheat flour was mainly used for making bread, there is evidence that this typical pastry product was made for festivals and celebrations.

The ensaïmada de Mallorca is made with strong flour, water, sugar, eggs, mother dough and a kind of reduced pork lard named saïm. The handmade character of the product makes it difficult to give an exact formula, so scales have been established defining the proportion of each ingredient, giving rise to an excellent quality traditional product. The name comes from the Catalan word saïm (pronounced: [səˈim]), which means 'pork lard' (from Latin sagimen, meaning 'fat').

Sedap juga roti pastry ni, very buttery. I used Tatura butter je tapi memang sedap. Recipe taken from Bisousatoi , thanks Rima , I tak reti nak link dengan page dia sebenarnya so kat bawah ni Ada resepinya! I buat half of the recipe coz its only the 5 of us and perutnya kecik2 belaka!!! Kuang kuang kuang......!!!!!!

Or you can try recipe from Tina De Guzman from her page Pinay in Texas cooking corner: Ensaymada

Ingredients:
500g high protein flour
100g of sugar
100g of butter
11g instant yeast
1/2 tsp bread improver
4 egg yolks
225ml ice water
1/2 tsp salt

For filling
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup cheddar cheese = grated

Method
1. Mix all dry ingredients, except salt, mix well
2. Add water and egg, mix well and knead until smooth.
3. Add butter and salt, Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly distributed and a dough is formed.
4. Knead the dough until texture becomes fine.
5. Put the dough back on the mixing bowl and cover the top with cloth. Allow the dough to rise for an hr or so.
6. Put the dough on a flat surface and flatten. Punch the dough lightly to release the air inside.
7. Using a dough slicer, divide the dough into four pieces.
8. Roll each piece until shape becomes cylindrical.
9. Cut the cylindrical dough into individual serving pieces (1 serving piece should weigh at least 80 grams) - I buat agak2 je
10. Put the sliced individual serving piece in a flat surface and flatten using a rolling pin.
11. Combine 1/4 cup melted butter with 1/4 cup white sugar. Using a brush, paint the mixture on the flattened dough. Make sure to paint only the center part of the flat dough.
12. Sprinkle some cheese over the painted area then seal the dough by folding opposite directions and rolling it until a long cylindrical shape is formed.
13. Start forming the spiral Ensaymada shape by crossing the two opposite ends of the dough. The first end should be placed under dough while the other end should be inserted in the middle. (see YouTube for better comprehension)
14. Place the dough in a baking tray with wax paper and cover with cloth. Set aside to rise for another 45 minutes
15. Pre-heat the oven at 175 for 10 minutes. Remove cloth on top of the tray and bake the dough for 15 minutes.
16. Remove the baked Ensaymada from the oven. Brush the top of the baked ensaymada with melted butter and dipped it into a bowl of sugar (press a little ok).. sprinkle additional cheese.
17. Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!