How to make Sobao Pasiego: Traditional Cantabrian pastry
Without a doubt, sobao pasiego is one of the simplest and most exquisite sweets you can enjoy. I have loved them for as long as I can remember and I will never stop loving them. There are elaborations that are liked and others that are deeply loved.
After many trials, today I share with you how to make sobao pasiego, a traditional Cantabrian pastry. It is an easy, simple and absolutely delicious recipe.
I have a very old recipe for sobaos on my website (from 2012), practically from my beginnings, but I am aware that it could be improved. It was something I wanted to do for a long time and, finally, here it is.
This recipe is made with the classic method, by hand and without any modern utensils. Although it is a traditional recipe, it is not the original, since it was made with bread dough. I also show you how to make the sobaos molds, known as “gorros“, and at the end of the post I leave some notes and tricks so that you get the best possible result.
Origin and history for sobaos pasiegos.
Sobao pasiego is a typical dessert of Cantabrian gastronomy, especially in the region of the Valles Pasiegos. Although it was originally produced and consumed only in the area where it was made, it is currently marketed throughout Spain.
This rural sweet has its roots in the confectionery tradition of the Cantabrian highlanders, who during the winters prepared delicious desserts with ingredients from their own environment, such as butter and flour.
Sugar was not part of the original ingredients of the recipe for sobaos pasiegos. It began to be added in the 19th century, as it was previously a luxury product. Instead of sugar, honey was used, and generally the dough was not sweetened.
The sobao pasiego of the 19th century was prepared with bread dough, white sugar, butter, eggs, lemon peel and aniseed or rum. Subsequently, modern sobao replaced the bread dough with wheat flour, without the addition of water. This sweet arose in a rural-based economy, far from gastronomic luxuries.
“With respect to sobao, the traditional recipe has been typified based on a study of the 13 companies in Cantabria that make it,” explains Eduardo Fernández. In the original recipe, the ingredients were bread dough, white sugar and butter. In the old sobao, two eggs, a grated lemon peel and anise or rum were added.
The origin of the modern sobao dates back to 1896, when a cook of Dr. Madrazo, Eusebia Hernandez Martín, replaced the bread dough with flour. “The latter is the sobao that we have considered as the sobao pasiego type”.
The Tradition of Sobao Pasiego: A Journey Since the 16th Century
As early as the 16th century, the Pasiega women would go to the markets in the area with a good quantity of sobaos to sell. Another part of the sponge cakes was reserved for the mountain men, who faced hard cold days during the winters.
Sobaos are born from the practice of kneading leftover bread dough, to which butter, eggs, sugar and other ingredients were added. To knead the dough requires strength, and to integrate the rest of the ingredients requires gentleness.
To a great extent, the quality of sobao is due to the milk used in its elaboration, coming largely from the Pasiega breed of cattle.
Artisan Pasiega Butter: A Traditional Process
Pasiega butter is made with great dedication and affection. Raw milk from Friesian cows is used in the process, following traditional methods handed down from generation to generation.
From the milking of the milk to the final packaging, each step of the production process is meticulously carried out to guarantee the highest quality. The milk undergoes a pasteurization and clarification process to eliminate impurities, before being enriched with lactic cultures and matured naturally for at least three months.
Pasiega butter is distinguished by its 80-82% fat content, which gives it a pale yellow color along with a smooth, creamy texture that melts on the palate. Its intense and characteristic flavor is the result of a carefully controlled maturation process, which allows the flavors and aromas to fully develop.
When enjoying a sobao pasiego, we are transported back in time, reliving the ancient rural traditions of the Pasiegos. In those times, during the spring and summer, the Pasiegos took their cattle to the forests to feed them with fresh hay. With the arrival of winter, the cattle were stabled, preparing for the harsh cold days.
Each bite of sobao connects us with the customs and the unique and magical landscapes of the Pasiego Valleys, evoking the dedication and care that permeated life in that region.
Recipe how to make Sobao Pasiego
Ingredients for 6 pieces 155 g/each
SOBAOS PASIEGOS:
- 250 g butter 80-82% fat, ambient temperature
- 230 g sugar
- 30 g honey
- 250 g eggs (4 eggs large + 1 yolk)
- 250 g sifted, light pastry flour
- 7 g baking powder
- 1 g salt
MOLDS:
- 2 baking sheets/parchment
MATERIAL WE WILL NEED AND VISIBLE IN THE VIDEO:
- large bowl
- digital kitchen scale
- rectangular tray
- cooling rack
REMEMBER TO ENJOY SWEETS IN MODERATION. SUGAR SHOULD BE CONSUMED OCCASIONALLY AND NOT BE PART OF YOUR DAILY DIET TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
Instructions
Prepare the molds for the sobaos pasiegos.
- To make the molds, you will need a total of one and a half sheets of baking paper. From each sheet, you will get 4 molds.
- Divide the sheet into two equal parts. Reserve one of them.
- With the half you have left, fold it in half again and divide it into two parts.
- Take one of these two halves, you should have a piece of paper with dimensions of approximately 19.5 cm x 15 cm. You will have to remove about 5 cm from one of the sides to obtain these dimensions.
- Once you have the paper with the specified dimensions, fold the paper in half on the longer side. Unfold it.
- Using the fold you made as a reference, fold each end in half using the first fold you made as a reference.
- With the paper folded, fold about 2 cm from both ends. Unfold the entire paper.
- Create the mold by folding as shown in the video.
- Repeat the process to make the 6 molds.
Prepare the batter.
- Cut the butter, which should be at room temperature, into portions. Incorporate in a large bowl.
- Add the sugar and honey. Mix with the help of your hands until completely homogenized. In the video you will see the correct consistency.
- Incorporate the eggs one at a time. Integrate very well, with the help of your hands, along with the rest of the ingredients before adding the next one. It is important to carry out this step well to prevent the butter mixture from curdling and having a lumpy appearance.
- Finally, add the sifted flour along with the baking powder and salt. Mix with the help of your hands until you get a homogeneous mixture without flour remains. Do not over mix, just until all the ingredients are integrated.
Fill the molds.
- Divide the mixture into the molds. In this case, you should fill each mold with 155 g of batter. The size of the molds and the quantity in the recipe are calculated so that there is no excess dough and you get the exact size for this mold.
- Place the filled molds in a rectangular pan. In my case, I also placed strips of aluminum foil to reinforce the sides and prevent the molds (due to the thickness of the baking paper, which is very thin) from losing their shape. At the end of the tray, I placed some molds to hold and contain.
- Let stand for 15 minutes before baking.
While the batter is resting, preheat the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 355ºF/180ºC, heat up and down.
- Insert the tray with the sobaos pasiegos, placed in the second slit starting at the bottom, and bake for 20-21 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and let stand 2-3 minutes on the tray.
- Remove, very carefully because they are very tender, with the help of a spatula from the tray and place on a cooling rack.
- Let them cool completely.
- NOTE: I advise you to let them rest, from one day to the next, inside a zip bag before eating them. If you can and if you can stand it... The flavor, aroma and texture improve a lot with the rest.
Notes
- In the video I show you how to make the molds for the sobaos. If you find a thicker paper that can be used for baking, perfect. That way the mold will hold the cake dough more easily and you won't have to place reinforcements on the sides.
- You should use butter at room temperature, with an ointment texture. I have tested with melted and cooled butter, the results were not to my liking. It changes the structure of the crumb.
- In my case I used pasiega butter, bought online in Cantabria. But all the previous tests I did were with supermarket butter, with 80-82% fat, and the result was also very good. Pasiega butter provides a characteristic aroma and flavor, which is not conferred by a common butter.
- It is not very common to find honey in the elaboration of some recipes of sobaos pasiegos. In bakery and pastries, it is common to use invert sugar or honey because it provides benefits to the products; it increases the fermentation of the dough since the yeasts digest better the glucose and fructose separately, instead of sucrose, more humid and juicy pieces are achieved because it favors the retention of humidity, which in turn prolongs the shelf life of the products.
- Honey is a natural invert sugar, thanks to enzymes (invertase) found in bee saliva. Invertase is a honey enzyme that splits the sucrose molecule (disaccharide) into the two monosaccharides that compose it, dextrose (glucose) and levulose (fructose). It is produced by bees, in their saliva, and is incorporated into the nectar during its manipulation to turn it into honey.
- The taste of honey is not appreciated in the sobaos that you are going to elaborate.
- I recommend adding the sifted flour to prevent lumps from forming.
- Do not increase the amount of egg, always weigh it. If you use more egg, the texture of the crumb changes a lot. It becomes denser, even rubbery. Not at all the texture and density/temperature you are looking for.
- I've used different amounts of baking powder in the tests I've done. In my vast amount of testing and humble opinion, the amount I leave you with is the ideal amount to achieve a good balance of product growth, final volume, tenderness and fluffiness.
- Do not omit salt, it enhances the flavors and aromas.
- In the elaboration I show you how to do the process mixing with your hands. Traditionally it was done that way and, they say, the result is better. Nowadays, in the bakeries, sobaos are made in kneaders that mix slowly. You can do it this way if you prefer, without abusing the mixing or beating process to achieve a good texture and final consistency in the product.
- If you vary the measurements of the mold, in a marked way, you will have to adjust the amount of mixture in it and, therefore, the cooking time. Keep this in mind to achieve a good final result.
- As the days go by, if you keep the sobaos well, they will be richer. I recommend that you let them rest from one day to the next stored in a zip bag. It greatly improves the flavor, aroma and texture. The second day they are wonderful. After 5 days, they will begin to lose their tenderness and moistness.
For lovers of Sobaos Pasiegos, you have to try them. Enjoy the classic and traditional process with which it was made in the past and, in addition, transmit the main ingredient to the elaboration. Your love and affection.
I am sure you will not forget the experience, seeing how all the ingredients are transformed between your hands, to give rise to these simple but absolutely delicious pieces.
And the best of all is the final part, enjoying them with a good freshly brewed coffee or a glass of milk. Dip it in and... You know the magic that comes after.
By the way, I remind you that you can watch all my videos on my YouTube channel. If you subscribe and turn on the little bell, I will be eternally grateful!
I wish you a wonderful Sunday afternoon!
Lots of love,
Eva
Sources: Escojo Artesanos
