Bollinas

[Bob]

BOLLINAS


6 eggs
1/2 pound butter (unsalted)
1 envelope dry yeast
1 cup milk (more or less)
4-5 cups flour - has to be judged
oil for frying
chopped walnuts
dark brown sugar


Put butter into a large bowl, and cut into chunks. Heat milk until bubbles appear around the edges. Pour milk over butter, and mix until the butter is completely melted. Add the eggs, mixed together with a fork and a dash of salt. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water, and add it to the mixture. Add flour and mix well until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead well and let rise until doubled in size in a greased bowl.

Roll dough fairly thin, cut into squares and top with a chopped walnut, dark brown sugar mixture. Fold square shut to form a rectangle, Seal around edges with a fork dipped in flour. (It helps to wet the inner edge with a little water first. Fry in oil or fat until lightly browned.


NOTE: My grandmother used the same dough, but cut it into triangles, to make a second pastry. She then made a slit in each triangle and pulled one corner all the way through. She fried the resultant shapes until brown and dusted them with powdered sugar

[Suronda]

Bob,

Can you please provide virtual samples for us all?! I'm getting hungry just reading the posts. Haven't had one of these treats in years. They were pretty much a staple at Christmas during my youth!

Did your family prepare something called "brazo gitano" that is a pudding filled roll...like a jelly roll but with pudding?

[gabkab]

My great-aunt taught me to make Brazo de Gitano "Arm of the Gypsy". I don't have a recipe but I remember she filled hers with lemon custard similar to what you put in a lemon meringue pie. To this day, lemon meringue is one of my favorites.

[Maestro Tomberi]

@gabkab

Anglosaxon folks call this dessert "swiss roll". It's exactly the same thing. The very samme recipe and all.

[Bob]

Yes, my mother made that using a recipe from my Asturian grandmother. I'll look for the recipe.