Ensaimada

To prepare a tasty and fluffy dough, start by placing the salt at the bottom of the bowl where you will be working. This step is essential as the salt helps to enhance the flavors in the dough. Sifting the flour is another important detail, as it helps to eliminate lumps and aerate the ingredient, leading to a finer texture. Mix the flour with the sugar and pour this mixture over the salt at the bottom of the bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, where you will add the yeast softened with a little sugar and dissolved in warm milk. Cover the yeast with a little flour from the edges and let the bowl covered in a warm place for about 15 minutes, until the dough rises. This fermentation process is crucial as it allows the yeast to activate, giving the dough a fluffy texture.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with the oil, ensuring that they are well combined. Once the dough has risen, add the egg and oil mixture over it and start kneading all the ingredients well. You may need to add a little flour to obtain a homogeneous, smooth, and elastic dough that easily comes off the bowl and your hands.

After you have obtained the perfect dough, grease the bottom and sides of the bowl with a little oil and shape the dough into a ball. Grease the dough with oil as well, then cover it with a greased nylon wrap on the dough side, followed by kitchen towels. Let it rise in a warm place, without drafts, for about an hour, or until the volume of the dough doubles.

Once the dough has risen, knead it again on a lightly floured work surface, then roll it out into a very thin sheet, in the shape of a rectangle. You can divide the dough into several pieces, depending on your preferences, and roll them out one by one. Spread melted and warm lard evenly and roll the dough lengthwise, ensuring that the rolls are thin.

Let the rolls sit for an hour, covered with a towel. Then shape them into a snail shape, placing them in a greased baking tray. Cover with a greased nylon wrap on one side and let them sit again in a warm place, without drafts, overnight. The next morning, brush the snails with an egg yolk diluted in a little warm water and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees for large snails or 20-25 minutes for smaller snails, until they turn golden brown and appetizing. Enjoy this delicacy with your loved ones!