Mallorcas

The tastiest and most delectable little confection you can imagine-not too sweet, oh so soft and just lovely with a little cafe con leche. I remember calling this pan dulce when I was a kid visiting PR but found out on my last visit back that they are actually pan de Mallorca-the most delectable of which can be found at La Bombonera- a 50's style throw back diner in Old San Juan where my great grandmother and her mother worked when it was definitely NOT famous at all and where they make honest, simple foods that most people could make for themselves but have forgotten and so are more rarified nowadays.

My great grandmother apparently was a tasty little confection herself, tramping in and out where her mother worked (I assume as a waitress), totally barefoot, whose affections were secured by a 50 some odd year old man who would become my great grand father and who had made a fortune in I think, construction. He bought her some shoes, probably maintained her impoverished family (why else would a family allow their child to marry a man so old?), and sired six or so children by her, one of which was my beautiful grandmother, Rosa. They later married properly when his first wife either died or moved on and were together until his death at age 101. My father told me that his grandfather's secret to longevity was 2 asprin and two beers every day. Does that mean that 3 or 4 beers will get me to 125? Hmmmm, that is something to ponder. (:

Anyway, here is the recipe:

3 eggs well beaten
Add to this 1/2 c. sugar and mix well
In a Cuisinart place 3 c. of flour and 1/2 tsp. salt and blend til incorporated
Warm 1/2 c. milk
Warm 1/4 c. water til it's warm enough to stick your finger in comfortably, around 105 degrees or so, I think. Dissolve in this 1 tsp. of sugar and then add a packet of yeast and let it sit a bit.
Meanwhile, take half a stick of butter and get it soft either by having had left it out or by nuking it a bit
Throw milk, yeast, butter into Cuisinart and blend until well incorporated.
Take it out and knead it a bit, grease lightly a big mixing bowl and put your dough in, nicely formed into a mound.
Cover with plastic wrap or a warm towel and put in a warm spot to rise for an hour

Upon rolling out the dough on a floured work space about a quarter inch thick (it should have a soft yellow hue)you can lightly lightly brush some butter onto the surface. Then roll it up and it will look like this:


Then cut the log of dough into 12 sections and place them on a cookie sheet, greased with butter. It will look like this:



And, after having risen again for a spell while we were fishing on the pier, like this:



We had more luck with the mallorcas than with the fish:



Okay, for the final touch, bake the mallorcas at 325 degrees for about twenty minutes. They should not be brown or really even golden, when the edges start to tinge, take them out.

Then simply place a cup of confectioner's sugar in a sieve and dust the little guys til your heart's content. Let them set a while to cool and then enjoy warm. These little babies actually freeze really well, too so you can make a bunch and have them ready when and if someone drops in for tea.

Here's the final product: