Ensaimada

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

Ensaimada: A soft, buttery spiral pastry that’s a Filipino breakfast favorite and Mallorcan classic. If you’ve searched for how to make ensaimada or a reliable ensaymada recipe, this easy homemade version yields light, fluffy rolls topped with butter, sugar, and cheese.

Why this recipe works
This ensaimada recipe uses enriched yeast dough—eggs, milk, and butter—to create a tender crumb. A resting period lets the dough relax so it can be stretched thin, then rolled into the signature spiral for an airy, layered texture.

Ingredients (makes 8)
– 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1 tsp salt
– 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one packet)
– 1/2 cup warm milk (110°F/43°C)
– 3 large eggs, room temperature
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for brushing)
– Vegetable oil for laminating
– 1/2 cup grated Filipino queso de bola or cheddar
– Additional granulated sugar for sprinkling
– Optional: powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
1. Activate yeast: Combine warm milk, a pinch of sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5–10 minutes until frothy.
2. Make dough: In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add eggs and yeast mixture; mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 8–10 minutes, gradually adding softened butter until fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic.
3. First rise: Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1–1.5 hours.
4. Shape ensaimada: Divide dough into 8 pieces. On an oiled surface, flatten and stretch each piece with hands (or roll thin), brush lightly with oil, then roll from one end into a rope and coil into a spiral. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment.
5. Second rise: Cover and proof 30–45 minutes.
6. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush with melted butter and bake 15–18 minutes until golden.
7. Finish: While warm, brush with more butter, sprinkle sugar, and top with grated cheese or dust with powdered sugar.

Tips and serving
Serve warm with coffee. For classic Filipino flavor, use queso de bola. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days. Try drizzling condensed milk for extra indulgence.

Make ensaimada at home to impress friends and family; this ensaymada recipe is ideal for bakers of all levels. Use quality butter and fresh yeast for best results. For variations, fill with ube halaya, custard, or cinnamon sugar. Save this easy ensaimada recipe and share it on social for more baking tips.

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step 1
Pour 230ml lukewarm water into a bowl and add the yeast. Leave to stand for 3 mins, then add the caster sugar, eggs, flour and 1 tsp sea salt flakes. Mix together to form a dough, then knead for 10 mins in stand mixer using a dough hook (or 15 mins by hand) until the dough is elastic enough to be almost see-through when stretched. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 mins, then cut into four equal pieces. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Leave to rest for another 30 mins.

step 2
Oil the work surface and a rolling pin with vegetable oil. Working with one portion of dough at a time, flatten it against the surface using the palm of your hand, then roll it out into a thin rectangle, about 30 x 50cm. Let it rest for 2 mins while you spread a quarter of the lard over the top. (If you want to fill your pastry with sobrasada de Mallorca, mix 50g lard with the sobrasada, and spread this over the dough instead.) Pull one corner of the flattened dough and stretch it out as far as it will go without breaking. Repeat every 10cm or so around the dough rectangle in every direction until it reaches about 50 x 70cm.

step 3
Cut a strip from each of the shorter sides and lay these beside each other along one of the longer sides of the rectangle; this is what we call the heart of the ensaimada. From there, begin rolling the dough until you have a long pastry snake. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.

step 4
Take the first roll of dough and stretch it until it is over a metre long. Then, roll it up into a spiral, leaving 1cm between each turn of the spiral so the dough can expand. Flatten a little and transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave to rise in a warm place for at least 12 hrs, or ideally 24 hrs.

step 5
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the ensaimadas in the top third of the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake for 18 mins until dark golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack. To fill your ensaimada with whipped cream, slice and open, then spread over the cream and close. Dust with a generous amount of icing sugar, if you like and cut into pieces to serve.