• Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

      Antonio Machado once said: “Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking”. And since I proposed this challenge, I’ll start.

      I am going to tell you about the “Rollos de naranja o de Pascua”. In the old days there were no ovens at home and the women would gather at a neighbor’s house for Christmas and make hundreds of rolls and then take them to the bakery in town to bake them and that’s where the real Christmas began. I was lucky enough to go several years with a family member to her friend’s bakery and participate in the whole process; I found it magical. As my oven is not very well suited for that, I have taken the photo and the recipe from some housewives who follow the tradition, in case anyone is up for it.

      *Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients* Ingredients

      750 g flour

      250 g sugar

      250 ml olive oil

      100 ml orange juice

      150 ml of dry aniseed

      70 ml of matalahuva infusion.

      Orange zest (one tablespoon)

      Matalauva from the infusion (one teaspoon).

      Cinnamon powder (half a teaspoon)

      Pine nuts (one tablespoon)

      1 sachet of baking powder

      1 egg to paint the rolls.

      Rolled almonds and sugar to decorate.

      **Preparation

      -The first thing is always to prepare ingredients and utensils.

      – We make an infusion of matalahúva with 250 ml of water and 50 g of aniseed. Set aside.

      – We put the flour with the yeast in a bowl or metallic pan to withstand the heat.

      – Heat the oil with some orange peels.

      – When the oil starts to smoke, put the peels aside and pour it, little by little, over the flour, stirring it with a wooden spoon to scald it until the oil and the flour are integrated.

      -Add the grated orange zest, cinnamon, the matalauva, the pine nuts and the sugar. Stir with a spoon.

      – Then add the liquids: the aniseed, the orange juice and the matalauva infusion (70 ml).

      – Stir and, when the temperature of the dough allows it, knead with your hands, first in the bowl and then on the worktop.

      We sprinkle a little flour on the worktop.

      (The dough should be homogeneous, compact and with a rubber band)

      – Cut a piece of dough and give it an elongated shape.

      We cut it into pieces of about 50 g and give them a round shape (we wrap them)

      – We take each piece and give it an elongated shape.

      -We make 4 cuts and join the ends.

      – Place the rolls on the baking tray and paint with a brush with beaten egg.

      Sprinkle them with sugar and put some sliced almonds on top.

      – Bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees with the oven preheated with heat up and down.

      Translated from Spanish
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      Mar Calvet, Mercedes Delgado de Miguel and 5 others
      1 Comment
      • Level: level 3 sous 3 Sous Chef

        I can almost picture that bakery and the excitement around it. Thank you for bringing that feeling here. This is such a lovely way to start the challenge. Traditions like this are pure Christmas magic and they deserve to be told as much as cooked.

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