History

The ensaïmada takes its name from saïm, the Mallorcan word for pork lard, which is what separates it from every other coiled pastry in the Mediterranean. Records of the coil date to the 17th century on the island, and it now carries a protected geographical indication as Ensaïmada de Mallorca, which sets the ingredients and the spiral form. Palma bakeries sell it plain or filled with cabell d'àngel, a squash preserve. Forn Fondo alone stocks more than twenty versions behind its Modernista glass.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg

Make it at home

Yield Makes 1 large coil, serves 6Hands-on 40 minTotal 14 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500g strong white flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 150ml water
  • 10g fresh yeast
  • 5g salt
  • 150g pork lard, softened to a paste
  • Icing sugar, to finish

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the water, then mix with the flour, sugar, eggs and salt to a slack dough.
  2. Knead for 12 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl, then rest it for 30 minutes.
  3. Roll the dough out on an oiled surface until it is thin enough to read through, working from the centre outward.
  4. Spread the softened lard across the whole sheet with your fingertips, leaving no dry patches.
  5. Roll the sheet into a long rope, then coil it loosely on a lined tray, leaving a finger gap between turns.
  6. Prove at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours, until the coil has filled the gaps and doubled.
  7. Bake at 180C for 20 to 25 minutes until deep gold, cool completely, then bury under icing sugar.

Tip from the editors. The long cold prove is not optional. Rushing it gives you a bread roll instead of the airy layers.

Where to eat ensaïmada

Ensaïmada in Palma

Forn Fondo ★ 4.6

Bakery€casco-antiguoMon-Sat 08:00-20:30; Sun 08:00-20:00

Forn Fondo has baked on Carrer de la Unió in Palma since 1911, now run by the fourth generation of the Llull family behind a Modernista shopfront.

Try: Ensaïmades and coques

Order: A plain ensaïmada, the benchmark against which the filled ones are judged.

Tip: Breakfast here costs about €4 with a coffee, which undercuts every café on the Born.

Carrer Unió 15, 07001 Palma

Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo ★ 4.7

Bakery€casco-antiguoDaily 08:00-21:00

Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo has served hot chocolate, ensaïmada and almond ice cream on Carrer de Can Sanç in Palma since the original shop opened in the 1700s.

Try: Hot chocolate with ensaïmada

Order: Order the hot chocolate with an ensaïmada to dunk.

Tip: Three centuries of trade and it still costs less than a hotel breakfast. Open until 21:00.

Carrer de Can Sanç 10, 07001 Palma

Fornet de la Soca ★ 4.7

Bakery€€casco-antiguo

Fornet de la Soca occupies the old Forn des Teatre on Plaça de Weyler in Palma, where Tomeu Arbona rebuilds Mallorcan recipes from convent archives.

Order: Coca with peppers, cut by the slice at the counter.

Why locals love it: Tomeu Arbona bakes from recovered convent and household recipes, so the counter changes with what he has rebuilt that month.

Tip: Stock is baked in small runs and sells out. Go in the morning if you want the coques.

Plaça de Weyler 9, 07001 Palma

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