Pan de Mallorca (Puerto Rican Sweet Bread)
Pan de mallorca or Puerto Rican sweet bread is a popular breakfast food on the island. Paired with cafe con leche, this sweet, fluffy bread is the perfect early morning pick-me-up.
Ingredients
Mallorca sponge
- 1 cup warm milk 110℉
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/8 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 cups bread flour can use all-purpose flour
Mallorca dough
- 3 cups bread flour can use all-purpose flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter plus 2 tbsp for topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs room temperature
- mallorca sponge
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Topping
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepare the sponge
- To a mixing bowl, add the warm milk, sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. You should see some bubbles which means your yeast is alive. If it doesn't bubble, that means the yeast is not active and you should start a new batch.
- Next, add 2 cups of flour and mix until well combined. This mixture should form a thick paste.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let this mixture rest in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Prepare the dough
- Your mixture should have doubled in size and it will look foamy with lots of bubbles on top.
- To a large bowl of stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, and salt. Mix together and then add the eggs, one by one, making sure that they are completely incorporated before adding the next one.
- Add the mallorca sponge and 1 cup of flour. Blend on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes. A thick paste should form.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of flour little by little. Stop as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough until it's shiny and smooth. It will be very sticky.
Proof the dough
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise on the counter for 2 hours or until it doubles in size. The dough can also be refrigerated and rise overnight.
- Dust your work surface with flour and knead the dough. Form it into a round ball and let it rest for 5 minutes before rolling it out. This resting time will prevent its tendency to bounce back while rolling it out.
Form rolls
- Roll out the dough into a thin rectangular sheet, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut the rectangle into 12 strips, about 1 1/4 inches wide.
- Brush the strips with melted butter and roll each strip into a spiral bun. Tuck the ends underneath so the rolls can keep their shape while baking.
- Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart so that they have enough space to rise. It's important to use parchment paper so that the bottoms of the mallorca don't brown too much.
- Cover the baking tray loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 45-60 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 350℉.
Bake mallorca
- Brush the rolls very lightly with egg wash and place them in the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until they are just beginning to brown. Be careful not to overbake.
- Brush the mallorcas with melted butter and allow to cool. Dust generously with powdered sugar. ¡Buen provecho!