You know that I like to share with you recipes from different parts of the world, it’s something that drives me crazy. I think there’s nothing better than getting to know a place through its gastronomy and traditions. When we travel, I would dare to say that I almost feel more like going to markets, restaurants, shops, bakeries… than to visit the place itself! hahaha. It’s something I enjoy very much. Today we are not going very far, I want to share with you how to make and enjoy an incredible Potato roll from Mallorca – Coca de patata mallorquina.
These are little rolls made with boiled potato and lard, among other ingredients. Their texture is incredibly tender, spongy and light. From those bites to those that are impossible to resist.
Coca de patata origin.
Potato rolls are a very typical and traditional sweet from Valldemossa, a small village in the Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca. This town is well known both for its cocas de patata and its Cartuja, La Cartuja de Valldemossa where Chopin composed Preludios OP. 28 and George Sand wrote “Un invierno en Mallorca” (A winter in Mallorca).
It is customary to accompany them with a hot chocolate in winter or a wonderful almond horchata in summer. The truth is that they are a real delicacy in any way you want to consume it.
Enjoy the simplicity of things.
I recognise that I always enjoy carrying out more complex or elaborate elaborations. I love to carry out the whole process and enjoy the final result. But we don’t always have enough time to devote to this type of elaboration and, it’s true, there are a lot of them that are very easy to prepare with an impressive result. An example of this is this coca de patata.
To prepare them we won’t have to complicate ourselves too much. And even more so by making use of the KitchenAid sieve and scale accessory. Even if you think it is a lie, thanks to it we will be able to reduce even more the time of elaboration of the recipe and organization when we prepare it. Yes, I know, another wonderful device you can’t live without.
When we get ready to prepare this dough, it will be the same process as making any other slightly enriched sweet bread dough. In this case we will do it with eggs and lard, which is the traditional way in which they are prepared. The kneading process is a little laborious. C0n this I mean that it is an intensive kneading, of very long duration.
If you are wondering if they could be made with butter, the answer itself. Now, would the result be the same? No. Butter provides a texture and finish that I haven’t been able to get with any other fat. The taste it leaves is imperceptible. But at home I reminded them a lot of the ensaimada (link recipe) for its slightly flaky texture on the outside!
Ingredients for 20 pieces
- 550 g AP flour
- 3 large eggs
- 50 g whole milk
- 200 g boiled potato
- 5 g dry yeast
- 200 g sugar
- 100 g lard
- 30 g sunflower oil
- 4 g salt
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
FIRST DAYMake the dough.
- In the KitchenAid bowl add the mashed boiled potato together with the eggs, sugar and lard.
- Mix with the help of the flat beater at speed 1 until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
- Pour the milk together with the yeast and mix again until homogenized.
- Replace the the flat beater with the hook and add the flour. Knead at speed 1 until a smooth and developed dough is obtained. It will take about 40-45 minutes.
- Add the oil together with the salt and mix again until it is completely integrated. It will take about 10 minutes.
- Make a ball with the dough and put into a container previously greased with oil. Let it rise until it quadruples in volume. In my case it took 15 hours at 68ºF/20ºC.
Preshape and shape.
- Dump the dough on a clean surface lightly sprinkled with flour. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, about 60 g each.
- Preshape, remember to always place the dough leftovers in the centre of each piece before preshaping. Make a ball and let stand for 10 minutes covered with a plastic film.
- Shape the rolls in the same way as we previously preshaped the pieces.
- Place on a tray lined with baking paper.
- Repeat the same process with the rest of the pieces.
- Remember to leave space between them as they will grow during rising and baking. In my case I have distributed them in 2 trays.
- Cover them with film and let them lift until they triple their volume. In my case it was 5 hours at 82,4ºF/28ºC controlled.
Bake.
- Preheat oven to 335ºF/170ºC.
- Bake for 13 minutes, should take a light and beautiful golden color. Remember that the interior temperature must reach 190º-194ºF/88-90ºC for the baking to be finished.
- Take out and let it cool completely on a rack.
- Repeat the process with the other batch.
- Before serving, sprinkle the rolls with icing sugar.
Notes
- Can I use fresh yeast instead of baker's dry yeast? Yes, of course. In this case remember that the proportion is 3 g of fresh yeast for every 1 g of dry yeast.
- Could boiled potatoes be replaced by potato flakes? This can be done, but it is very likely that the hydration of the dough will vary and you will have to adjust it by increasing it slightly. The proportion for 550 g of flour can be around 50-60 g of potato flakes.
- Knead a lot and very well, developing well the gluten you are guaranteed to get a very spongy crumb bun.
- Respect the rising times so that the pieces acquire the correct volume, do not explode creating a crack and their texture is very spongy. Don't be anxious! :D
- Try not to exceed the baking time of the buns, otherwise they will be dry and not very soft.
- They are kept in perfect condition for 2-3 days in a zip-type bag. They may be kept for more days, but I haven't been able to check!
