Bartolillos Madrid

How to prepare Madrid bartolillos .

In Madrid, if we talk about old confectionery, we cannot fail to mention the Madrid bartolillos.

One of the most representative sweet recipes of Madrid’s gastronomy, which triumphs with French toast , pestiños and rosquillas on any important date in the capital.

They are sweets with a very thin and sweet dough similar to a pasty, which, once filled with pastry cream, are fried in oil. They are served sprinkled with sugar and if we get to consume them hot they will be richer if possible.

Although theories about its origin are varied, whether they were the Romans, the Arabs or the nuns in the convents of the 19th century, this is one of the most traditional desserts.

We can find in the book ” The Spanish sweet shop ” by the gourmet Manuel Martínez Llopis some reference to this dessert:

“The bartolillos de crema, mentioned repeatedly by saineteros and customs writers who relate how they were vying for the fame of making the best, figure prominently: the Hostería de Botín, founded in the early seventeenth century in the popular Plaza de Herradores by a French chef named Jean Botin; the Horno del Pozo, in the street of this name, founded in 1830 by Julián Leal Charle, an establishment that still exists, and the Horno de Ceferino, in the calle de León, whose premises were smaller than its fame, but whose record has been lost. ”

So if you are visiting Madrid at Christmas, Easter or San Isidro , you will see in the windows of the patisseries good trays full of Madrid bartolillos , a real delicacy.

Preparation of the Madrid bartolillos

1. In a saucepan, mix the wine, sugar and salt. We cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved. We allow to temper before using.
2. In a bowl we incorporate the flour, the lard that has to be at room temperature, soft, and add the already warm wine.
3. With a fork we begin to integrate the ingredients until we form a sand that we have just formed with our hands.
4. We make a ball with the dough and let it rest, in a lightly floured bowl, for 30 minutes, covering it with a cloth.
5. We form a roll with the dough and divide it into 12 equal parts.
6. We stretch each part with a roller forming a handkerchief of about 20 cm. long, giving it an oval shape. We put a tablespoon of pastry cream and close the handkerchief folding it over itself.
7. On the blog you can find my recipe for pastry cream , easy and fast, perfect for filling the bartolillos.

Frying and final presentation of the bartolillos

1. We seal the handkerchief with the help of a fork, in the same way that we do with the dumplings.
2. It is important that they are not opened during frying so we will try to make sure that they are perfectly sealed.
3. In a high-walled saucepan, so as not to splash up to the ceiling, we add plenty of soft oil.
4. When it is hot we incorporate the bartolillos and fry them at medium or medium high temperature.
5. Regulate the temperature to avoid that we are toasted too much on the outside and inside we are raw.
6. We remove on a kitchen paper to remove the excess oil. We wait a few seconds for the oil to heat up again before adding the next batch of bartolillos.
7. We serve the bartolillos battered with white sugar or icing sugar, that suits your taste.

Of course, try not to burn yourself and wait for them to warm up to taste them, a delicious delight.

Be sure to see all the photos of the step-by-step recipe of the Madrid bartolillos   in this album.

Tips for some suckers

• The procedure to prepare the Madrid bartolillos is simple. Once we list the c pastelera rema , the blog can find how to prepare it . We prepare a traditional dough with lard, flour, sugar and a touch of wine.
• We stretch the dough, as thin as possible and, giving it an oval shape, we form dumplings with the cream inside, ready for frying.
• It is a forceful and delicious sweet that I hope you dare to prepare at home.
• How Manuel Llopis said and he knew something about the subject describing the dessert perfectly:

“Bartolillos, those triangular dumplings, made with a fine dough and fried in oil. They keep in their bosom a pastry cream that spills its sweetness in the mouth of those who are lucky enough to eat it. The bartolillos are one of the best legacies of the old Madrid pastries. ”

I am sure that these bartolillos will be the sweet spot for the most traditional tapas in Madrid, from some tripe a la Madrilenian , the oxtail stewed in wine , the brava potatoes , the battered cod , the squid a la romana and of course the ear grilled. You cannot resist buying them in a pastry shop or preparing them at home.