A. M.
Pan de Mallorca
If you aren't familiar with its pillowy sweet spirals, Pan de Mallorca is a very simple to execute powder sugar dusted sweet bread. Its sweet dough is rolled into ropes and coiled around itself to create its trademark, hypnotizing spiral. While it is widely known as a Puerto Rican sweet bread Pan de Mallorca’s origins (in the grand tradition of Caribbean bread) began in Spain.
Coiled yeasted doughs that
were slathered with lard and
prepared for the Sabbath were
first found in Mallorca, a Balearic
island off the coast of Spain.
They were brought to Puerto
Rico by a Spanish baker in the
early 1900s where Boriqua
panaderos then did what we do best, take food foreign to our indigenous cuisine and make it our own. The dough recipe transformed over the years thriving due to the wild humidity and torturous high temperatures on the island, the ideal condition for yeast to grow, giving the bread it’s signature bounce and cloudlike texture. You can have the Pan de Mallorca on its own but they are the PERFECT bread for sweet savory sandwiches.
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What You'll Need
1/2 C whole milk (lukewarm)
1/2C water (lukewarm)
2t active dry yeast
1/2c granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3T butter melted
2 1/2C AP flour
1t salt
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Note: you'll also need
more melted butter for brushing once baked (measure with your heart)
and powdered sugar for dusting after bake (again y’all, go ham)
​
bake at 350 F for 16minutes rotating at the midway point for even baking
-In the bowl of a stand mixer combine lukewarm water, lukewarm milk, sugar and yeast. Mix until all yeast granules are fully dissolved and let stand in a warm area for 5 minutes to allow yeast to bloom. Once yeast is foamy and active, whisk in 1/2 c of AP flour, making sure there are no lumps and the mixture is homogenized. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm area to proof for 1 hr.
​
-After your hour is up, the yeast mixture should have visible bubbles at its surface and have doubled in size. Transfer yeast mixture bowl to mixer with paddle attachment and set to low speed. Add in egg yolks one at a time until fully incorporated. Once eggs are incorporated add in 2C of flour in 3 stages until homogenized. Add salt and stream in 3T of melted butter. Continue to mix dough on low speed for 2 minutes. Your finished dough should be smooth and shiny but still very sticky. Remove bowl from mixer, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 90 minutes.
-After 90 minute proof, turn dough onto a well floured work surface. Sprinkle flour on top of dough and also dust your hands. Press and stretch dough out into a rectangular shape making sure the thickness of the dough is as even as possible. Cut dough into strips lengthwise. (1/2 inch to 1 inch depending on your large you want your mallorcas to be. If your mallorcas are on the larger size, tac on 2 minutes to your bake time.)
Recipe Yield: 12 rolls
-Coil each strip into tight spirals, tucking the end of the dough strip under each bundle and transfer coils to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and cover with plastic wrap. Let buttered dough coils rest for 20 minutes. Bake for 16 minutes at 350 F rotating midway through the bake. Mallorcas should emerge from the oven golden brown but still soft and bouncy to touch. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with as much powdered sugar as your heart desires.
