Hojaldre Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well about the size of your fist in the flour mixture.
• 2. In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk together the milk, 3 Tbsp oil, and egg. With a wooden spoon, stir the milky mixture into the flour well, stirring until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
• 3. Knead the dough in the bowl for about a minute or until it turns into a ball that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. If it's too sticky, add more flour; if it's too crumbly, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until it forms into a ball. Transfer to floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (To save time, you can can prepare the dough up to this step, and all that's left in the morning is frying the dough.)
• 4. Remove dough from refrigerator and pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a gold ball. Pinch and stretch the dough into 5-inch ovals. They should be roughly shaped and not necessarily even ovals all around.
• 5. Heat the 2 cups oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Drop the flattened dough pieces into the hot oil and wait for them to rise to the surface, about 2 minutes. Turn them over to allow the other side to brown for about 30 seconds.
• 6. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to triple-layered paper towels to absorb excess oil. Let cool, then lightly dust with powdered sugar (or a cinnamon/sugar mix). Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
• Make a well in the middle and add the oil and a little water.
• Knead, adding the rest of the water little by little.
• Let the dough sit overnight in the refrigerator.
• When you are ready to make the hojaldres, heat a pan with the oil for frying over medium-high heat.
• To form the hojaldres, take a golf ball size of dough and stretch it by hand until it is roughly 6 inches in diameter. Drop the stretched dough into the hot oil and fry until it is golden brown, turning once. The dough will puff up and parts of the hojaldre will be crispy and parts will be bready.
• ENJOY!

Steps:

• Roll out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out ten 6-inch circles and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather the scraps together by placing them on top of each other, overlapping a bit to stick them together (don't form into a ball!). Roll the top lightly to smooth and even it out.
• Whip the pastry cream until smooth and divide among 5 of the circles, leaving some room around the edges. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork and brush along the edges. Place the remaining 5 circles on top and press tightly along the edges to seal.
• Cut out five 2-inch circles for the noses and make two little holes with a toothpick or skewer; attach the noses to the tops of the pastries with some of the egg yolk. To make the ears, cut out 10 circles that are a bit smaller than the nose and pull one side slightly so they are a bit pointy, giving them a bit of movement. Seal with some egg yolk. Refrigerate while you preheat the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Mix the remaining egg yolks with the milk and brush the tops of the pastries. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• To decorate, spread a little circle of the melted white chocolate to make eyeballs, allow to set, and then put a smaller circle of melted dark chocolate on top of the white to make the center of the eye. Play around and have some fun giving the piggies a personality of their own. (You can put the chocolate in separate plastic syringes or squeeze bottles and put them in the microwave for a few seconds to melt, then squeeze the chocolate onto the pastries.)