Mallorcas

Why this recipe works In Puerto Rico, these cloud-like, sweet, nautilus-shaped buns can be found in nearly every bakery. The bun made its way to Puerto Rico from the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca, thus the name. Eggy mallorca dough is packed with layer upon layer of fat, so the buns are pillowy and delicate, flaky and light. Freshly baked and generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar, they make for a heavenly treat alongside coffee. Day-old mallorcas come into their own when split, stuffed with ham and cheese, griddled, and sprinkled once again with confectioners’ sugar. To start our development of these feathery buns, we tested both butter and lard. The two fats gave us similar results in terms of texture, so we chose butter because we preferred its flavor. We experimented with various folding techniques to laminate (or create layers of butter within) our dough—the key to achieving a fluffy, feathery texture. We adopted a streamlined two-step process: First, we stretched the mass of dough thin, brushed it with melted butter, and rolled it like a jelly roll to form layers. Then, after cutting the roll and shaping individual ropes, we brushed the dough with more butter before coiling each rope into a spiral shaped roll. These two simple brushing and shaping steps created the glorious layers we were after. We do not recommend mixing this dough by hand. If the dough becomes too soft to work with at any point, refrigerate it until it’s firm enough to easily handle.

MAKES: 12 buns

RISING TIME: 4 to 5 hours

BAKING TIME: 24 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 6 to 7 hours

KEY EQUIPMENT: stand mixer, 2 rimmed baking sheets, rolling pin, pastry brush

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cups (25 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk, room temperature
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 10 tablespoons (4⅓ ounces) granulated sugar
• 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, softened, plus 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) melted
• confectioners’ sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk, eggs, and granulated sugar until the sugar has dissolved. With the dough hook on low speed, slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
2. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead the dough until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead until the butter is fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size, 2 to 2½ hours.
4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Press down on the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter, divide it in half, and cover each half loosely with greased plastic. Press and roll one piece of dough into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle, with the long side parallel to the edge of the counter.
5. Brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the top edge. Roll the dough away from you into a firm cylinder, keeping the roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Pinch the seam closed and reshape the cylinder as needed to be 18 inches in length with a uniform thickness. Cover it loosely with greased plastic. Repeat the process with the remaining piece of dough and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
6. Using a serrated knife, cut each cylinder into 6 pieces and cover them loosely with greased plastic. Working with one piece of dough at a time, stretch and roll it into a 10-inch rope. Lightly brush the rope with melted butter, coil it into a spiral, and tuck the tail end underneath.
7. Arrange the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently poke an indentation into the center of each spiral with your finger. Cover them loosely with greased plastic and let them rise until nearly doubled in size, and the dough springs back minimally when gently poked with your knuckle, for 2 to 2½ hours.
8. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake one sheet at a time until the rolls are light golden brown, for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack and let them cool for 15 minutes. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.