Rosquilhas are large rings of sweet yeast bread made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter, lard and milk, and one of Pico's traditional sweets for the Holy Spirit (Espírito Santo) festivities, which peak on Pentecost Sunday, seven weeks after Easter. They are carried in the processions and handed out to everyone who comes to the festa, as a gesture of sharing.
The dough is soft and needs time to rise. Before baking, each ring is cut all the way round, and the cuts open up in the oven; while still hot, it is brushed with butter.
Method
Make the starter: in a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar and the 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover and leave for 10–15 minutes, until bubbly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale. Add the salt and, if using, the aguardente and lemon zest.
Add the starter, half the butter and the milk, then gradually work in the sifted flour.
Mix the rest of the butter with the lard, add it to the dough and knead for 10–15 minutes, until elastic. The dough is soft and sticks to your hands: flour your hands rather than adding more flour. If it seems dry, add a little more milk.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and a blanket and leave the dough to rise somewhere warm and draught-free until doubled, about 2½ hours.
Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, shape them into balls and leave them to rest for 30 minutes on a floured worktop, covered with a cloth.
Push a finger through the centre of each ball and widen the hole with your hands, turning, to form a wide ring. Move the rings to trays lined with baking paper and leave to rise for another 30–45 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Holding scissors with the tips pointing down, snip all round each ring, about halfway into the dough, and open the cuts slightly with your fingers.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, until well browned and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them generously with melted butter and leave to cool on a rack before slicing.
Tips
- To check whether the dough has risen enough, drop a small floured ball of it into a glass of room-temperature water: when it floats to the top, it is ready.
- To stop the hole closing up in the oven, place a small buttered ovenproof bowl in the centre of each ring.
- No scissors? Make the cuts with a very sharp knife.
- The aguardente (grape brandy) and lemon zest are optional; some family recipes leave them out.
- A rosquilha that has gone stale makes a good bread pudding.
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