Panquemao, the traditional Easter bun recipe

Total: 5 h 40 min Diners: 6

Did you miss the roscón de Reyes? Well today, still respecting its seasonal tradition in Spain, we are going to make something very similar: panquemao. It is a very typical dessert from Murcia and the Valencian Community that gets its name from the custom of toasting it a lot.

It is a dough similar to the roscón, but with the particularity that it has aniseed in its dough, that instead of being eaten at Christmas, it is devoured at Easter and that sometimes it is topped with meringue or burnt sugar. This gives it that characteristic flavor, that spongy texture and that soft aroma. We are talking about typical Easter recipes, as could also be the fritters or all preparations with cod.

Although typical of the town of Alberic, it quickly spread to the rest of Valencia and was made with potatoes, eggs and even pumpkin. Legend has it that its history goes back to the time when this territory was occupied by the Muslims. At that time, the king’s daughter suffered from a lack of appetite and the king sent her to a farm in the aforementioned town to be fed by an old woman called “Mona”. This one prepared her a bread known as “pit de sultana”, composed of flour, hue­vos, sugar, oil and yeast. It was so good that the king’s daughter did not hesitate for a moment to eat it, which gave her back her energy and restored her health. It is not known for certain whether or not this is the origin of the dessert, but what is certain is that Alfonso XVIII had a private baker in Albaric who supplied him with such breads.

Surely, along with horchata, panquemao is one of the most famous desserts of the territory (they say that at Easter more than sixty thousand panquemados are consumed), although it is not necessarily served as such.

Many times it is customary to eat it with sausage, hard-boiled egg or potato, as if it were an hornazo! It is a recipe that can be made at home and that smell of butter and freshly baked pastries will awaken a cook and a devourer inside you. Soaking a good piece of panquemado in your morning coffee can become the new daily moment of supreme happiness.

How to make Easter panquemao

Ingredients

. Flour, 300 g Plain flour, 250 g Sugar, 120 g Eggs, 2 pcs M eggs, 2 pcs Mild olive oil, 40 ml Butter, 50 g Whole milk, 110 ml Dry baker’s yeast, 7 g Orange zest, 1 tablespoon Lemon zest, 1 tablespoon Aniseed liqueur, 1 tablespoon Salt, 1 pinch Sugar for decorating, 70 g Water, a few drops Egg for brushing, 1 pc

Step 1

The best way to make this type of recipe is to have a mixer, although it can be done by hand with a lot of patience, as it is necessary to knead thoroughly so that the dough develops the gluten completely and the dough is smooth and silky. Keep in mind that over-kneading will also be detrimental.

Put all the ingredients in the same bowl, integrate and knead until a homogeneous mixture is formed. The ideal is to do it in intervals of one minute, with rests of five, until it is a thin and homogenized dough. If you do not do it with a mixer I recommend you to make a volcano with the flour, put all the ingredients inside and incorporate them little by little from the inside to the outside so that the flour is absorbed little by little. When the dough is manageable remove to a surface and knead thoroughly.

Step 2

Lid with cling film, place in a greased bowl and let rise in a dry, warm place until doubled in volume. A good trick if it is very cold at home is to put the bowl in the oven with the light on.

Step 3

When it has doubled in size, pour it on a clean, dry surface and shape it gently, these doughs must be treated with care. We want to form a tight ball that we will leave to ferment again covered, with a little oil in between, until it doubles the volume again.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. Mix the sugar with a few drops of water to make it dense but moist.

Step 5

When it has doubled in size again, make a cross on the surface with the help of a sharp knife or cutter and brush with beaten egg. Place the moist sugar we have prepared on top. Bake in the oven at 190°C for 30 minutes.