What better thing to do during lockdown than to sort through posts that never saw the light of day? These semitas were originally baked over the winter holidays (but most still remain in my freezer).
After a long period of indecision, I finally hunkered down to try a second semitas recipe, this time from a Youtube video. The video is very detailed and informative and the best way to get the shaping right. The main differences between this recipe and the previous one I tried is the egg and butter content; this one uses less eggs but more butter in the bun dough and more sugar and more butter in the outer paste.
Here is a rough transcription of the recipe:
Dough Ingredients
400g strong white bread flour
70g sugar
130g egg/egg yolks (I use 2 eggs and 1 yolk)
90g butter
21g powdered milk (I skipped this, probably best to add 21 grams of flour if skipping)
1 sachet of dried yeast (about 7g)
110g tepid water
Cover paste
300g plain flour
140g sugar
210g unsalted butter
4g salt
30-60g water or egg whites from the used egg
Method
Dough
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk eggs before adding to the flour mixture, then add most of the water (I always leave a bit behind just in case the dough ends up too moist; you can always add the rest if necessary).
Mix together until a dough forms.
Then the messy part begins! The butter will be incorporated in 3-4 batches, it should be soft before trying to work it into the dough. On the counter, you’ll have to knead the butter into the dough and it will get messy, frustratingly so! Just keep going and soon the dough will come together. Add more butter and work it in. More mess! No worries, the dough will come together (make sure you’re actually stretching and trapping air in the dough, not just pushing it around). Add more butter and work it in. Even though you’re not supposed to add more flour here, I still did (remember I skipped 21g of dry ingredient) and it helped.
Once the dough is smooth and elastic (probably after kneading it for a good 10min) shape into a ball, pop it back into the bowl and cover. Leave to rise for at least 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
Cover paste
With an electric mixer (or a really strong arm), cream the softened butter and sugar. After the sugar dissolves a bit gradually add the flour and salt. The mixture will start to look like bread crumbs. Add the water or the egg whites and combine using a spatula or wooden spoon.
When you achieve a paste-like consistency, pop out unto a piece of parchment paper and shape into a cylinder.
Wrap it up like a burrito and pop in the fridge.
Assembly
When the bun dough has finished rising, pop it out unto the counter and punch out the gas. Weigh it to work out how many semitas you want (I did 20, each dough ball weighed about 36g), then portion and weigh out your dough. Shape into balls and cover with a tea towel.
Get the paste cylinder out of the fridge and weigh it. Divide it by the number of semitas and that number divide by 2 (you will need 2 discs to cover each dough ball). Start slicing and weighing the paste until you have the necessary number of discs.
Roll each portion into a small ball (doesn’t have to be perfect). Be careful not to over-manipulate the paste because you’ll get better results if it’s still cold. Before assembling each semita you’ll have to flatten each ball into a small thin tortilla. My issue here was the more you manipulate the paste and it warms in your hands, the more it starts to split and break apart. I found that using a lot of flour on the surface helped, as well as placing the ball on the surface and flattening it once using my palm and then fingers.
To assemble each semita take one disc in one hand, place ball on it and cover with second disc. Seal the edges of the paste discs while creating the signature ‘roll’ of the semita. The video is super helpful here as it’s hard to describe what your fingers should do.
When you have finished shaping all the semitas (hallelujah!), pop them in some sugar to coat the top (I forgot this step) and place them on a baking sheet to rest for about 30min. The dough inside will rise, causing the cover to crack.
Towards the end of this resting time preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool before digging in! The cover was super crispy and the bun super soft, compared to the first recipe’s.
Despite the effort and mess I think this recipe is a keeper!
A taste of five homes 