Ensaimada – brioche

Ingredients :
For 18 Brioches

  • 30 g of yeast
  • 1/4 cup of hot water
  • 6 tablespoons of sugar
  • 4 cups of flour
  • 185 g of butter or lard
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of extra melted butter or margarine
  • 125 g of steamed grated cheese (Edam)

Preparation :

Put yeast in warm water.
Add 3 tablespoons of sugar and stir until yeast is dissolved. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour and let stand in warm place.

Beat 185g butter. When it’s creamy incorporate 3 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until mixture is smooth.

Add egg yolks one by one and add the flour alternately with milk,
then add the yeast. The dough should be soft but should not stick to the walls.

Make a ball is allowed to stand for 10 minutes in a dish coated with flour.

In a bowl, coat the dough ball with oil, cover the bowl and let rise 1 hour in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Divide dough into two and roll each piece into a rectangle of 45×38 cm, coat the rectangles with the remaining butter and sprinkle with grated cheese, cut into 3 strips each rectangle in the direction of equal length.

Roll up each strip thus obtained (always in the direction of the length) for long cylinders. Cut each roll into 3 this gives 9 pieces by rectangle.

Roll each small cylinder on itself to give it the shape of a snail or a twist. Place on a greased baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.

Cover with a clean cloth and let rise 30 or 40 minutes in a warm place or until they have doubled in size.

Heat oven to 170 ° C and cook 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. and sprinkle with sugar.

Serve warm the ensaimadas or at room temperature.

Tips : The ensaimada lisa, no additives, except icing sugar dusted, is the most common version for ensaïmades individual. 
In contrast, the ensaïmades for many people are most often filled: jam filaments pumpkin flesh, stuffed with Catalan cream, stuffed with the soubressade this is a sausage of Majorcan , apricot, chocolate, nougat, etc..

Anecdotes : Saim means of lard or the name of the dish. This is a traditional dessert and emblematic of the island of Majorca, where he developed and used for a long time. In the Philippines, the influence of four centuries of Spanish rule can be enjoyed in a mixture of flavors from Spain, China and the tropics. Ensaïmada can be filled with ube (purple yam), of macapuno (coconut) or mongo (a kind of black beans). Apart from the paella and other dishes, Ensaymada is one of the pastries that Spaniards made ​​in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization.