Caladinhos of Santa Maria da Feira — Clara de Sousa's Tested Version
Clara de Sousa began with a formula from the Union of Parishes of Feira, observed pastry cooks and published the adjustments from her own tests. The flour varies with egg size and the specified oven is fan-assisted. This is therefore an identified home reconstruction—not a pastry shop's secret recipe—checked against DGADR's official description: eggs, sugar, flour, rolled portions and slight flattening.
- Yields
- 32–35 caladinhos
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 6 min per batch
Ingredients
- 4 Whole eggs
- 5 Egg yolks
- 500 g / 17.6 oz Sugar
- 600–700 g / 21.2–24.7 oz, according to egg size T65-style bread flour, without raising agent
- as needed Extra flour for shaping
Method
Beat the whole eggs, yolks and sugar at medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until pale and aerated.
At low speed with a dough hook, incorporate 600 g of flour first. Add only enough extra flour to obtain a dense but still slightly sticky dough.
Dust the worktop and your hands. Take well-filled dessert-spoon portions and shape them into balls.
Set them apart on an ungreased, paper-lined tray and flatten the tops slightly with your palm.
Bake in a fan oven preheated to 220°C / 430°F for 6 minutes, checking from 5 minutes. They should remain very pale, with only touches of gold.
Leave to cool completely before lifting from the paper. Wait at least one day before serving.
Sources for this recipe
The quantities and method were checked against the references below. Family recipes may vary; where no single official formula exists, we present a representative practical version and say so plainly.
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