Okay, so I finally got around to trying to make those Starbucks Mallorca sweet breads at home. I’ve grabbed them a few times with coffee and always thought, “I could probably make these.” Famous last words, right? But seriously, I decided to give it a shot this weekend.
Getting Started
First thing, I had to gather all the stuff. Checked a few recipes online to get the general idea. Needed the basics: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, yeast. Oh, and the powdered sugar for the topping, super important. I actually had most of it, just needed to grab some active dry yeast and make sure my bread flour wasn’t ancient. Went to the store, got the yeast, felt ready.
Making the Dough
Alright, kitchen time. Warmed up the milk a bit, not too hot, just enough to wake up the yeast. Poured that into my big mixing bowl. Sprinkled the yeast on top with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for like 5-10 minutes until it got kinda foamy. That means the yeast is alive, good sign.
Then, I dumped in the rest of the sugar, the softened butter (left it out for a while), a couple of eggs, and a bit of salt. Gave that a quick mix with the paddle attachment on my stand mixer. Switched to the dough hook. Started adding the bread flour, cup by cup, while the mixer was on low. Let it knead in there for a good 8-10 minutes. The dough started looking smooth and pulled away from the sides of the bowl. It felt soft, maybe a little sticky, but mostly smooth. I poked it, felt about right.
First Rise – The Waiting Game
Took the dough out, formed it into a ball roughly. Greased the bowl with a bit of oil, plopped the dough back in, and turned it over so the top was oiled too. Covered the bowl with plastic wrap. Found a semi-warm spot in the kitchen, away from drafts, and just left it there. This part always tests my patience. Had to wait for it to double in size, which took about an hour, maybe a little more. Kept peeking at it.
Shaping the Swirls
Once it looked puffy enough, I punched the dough down gently. Put it on a lightly floured counter and divided it up. I aimed for about 8 pieces, trying to make them kinda equal. Rolled each piece into a long rope, maybe 12-15 inches long? Then, the fun part: coiling each rope up like a snail shell. Tucked the end underneath. Placed them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between them.
Second Rise and Baking
Covered the shaped rolls loosely with plastic wrap again. Let them sit and puff up again for another 45 minutes to an hour. They didn’t double, but definitely got bigger and looked airy.
Preheated the oven to 375°F (around 190°C). Once ready, I popped the baking sheets into the oven. The smell started filling the house pretty quickly – buttery, sweet, yeasty goodness. Baked them for about 15-20 minutes. Watched them turn golden brown on top. Pulled them out when they looked done.
The Finishing Touch
Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. They need to be warm, but not piping hot for this last step. Grabbed the powdered sugar. And I mean, grabbed the powdered sugar. Put a whole bunch in a sieve and just showered those rolls until they were completely coated. Made a bit of a mess on the counter, but hey, that’s part of baking.
Taste Test!
Okay, moment of truth. Picked one up, powdered sugar went everywhere, of course. Took a bite. Wow. Soft, fluffy, buttery, sweet… they were actually really good! Very close to the texture and taste I remember from Starbucks. Maybe even a bit better because they were fresh from the oven. Super happy with how these turned out. They weren’t too hard to make, mostly just waiting for the dough to rise. Definitely adding this to my list of things to bake again!
