Fogaça da Feira — Formula Published by the Municipal Tourism Office
Santa Maria da Feira's tourism portal publishes this formula using 800 g / 28.2 oz flour, 3 eggs in the dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and zest, and a fresh-yeast starter. Its technique—winding the strip from the wide end into a cone, cutting four towers and opening them after 15 minutes in the oven—matches the expertise protected by the European specification. Making it at home is a way to study the form and dough, but does not confer Fogaça da Feira PGI status: every production stage of the protected product must take place within Santa Maria da Feira municipality.
- Yields
- 1 large or several smaller breads; the source allows 125 g / 4.4 oz, 500 g / 17.6 oz, 700 g / 24.7 oz, 1 kg / 2.2 lb or 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb pieces as the available dough permits
- Prep
- 75-105 minutes' proving, plus preparation
- Cook
- 15 minutes before opening the towers, plus an unstated final baking time
Ingredients
- 150 ml / 5.1 fl oz Warm water
- 200 g / 7.1 oz for the starter plus about 600 g / 21.2 oz for the dough Wheat flour
- 50 g / 1.8 oz Fresh baker's yeast
- 1, zest and juice Lemon
- 10 g / 0.35 oz Salt
- 120 g / 4.2 oz Butter
- 150 g / 5.3 oz Sugar
- 3 for the dough plus 1 for glazing Eggs
- Amount not stated Ground cinnamon
Method
Dissolve the 50 g / 1.8 oz fresh yeast in the 150 ml / 5.1 fl oz warm water. Add the 200 g / 7.1 oz flour and mix into a soft starter.
If the room is mild, leave the starter to rise for 15 minutes. The source gives neither a temperature nor another endpoint.
Sift the 150 g / 5.3 oz sugar with the cinnamon. Add it to the starter with the 10 g / 0.35 oz salt, 3 eggs, lemon zest and juice, 120 g / 4.2 oz butter and about 600 g / 21.2 oz flour.
Knead until the dough is slightly firmer than bread dough. The source describes the 600 g / 21.2 oz flour as approximate; do not automatically add more than needed to reach that consistency.
Leave to ferment for 30 minutes or until doubled in volume.
Divide into the desired sizes. Shape each piece into a long roll, thicker at one end, then flatten it into a strip. Always wind from the wide end, bottom to top and in the same direction, forming a pyramid.
Place the pyramids on a prepared tray and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The traditional municipal method uses a flour-dusted cloth known as a tendal before transferring the pieces to the oven peel.
Heat the oven thoroughly; the source gives no temperature. Brush with beaten egg and use scissors to make four cuts in the top of each pyramid to form the towers.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove safely and ease the four towers apart so heat reaches the centre. The municipal method says experienced producers do this by hand; at home, protect yourself from the hot tray and dough and do not attempt it without suitable burn protection.
Return to the oven until fully baked. The source gives no minutes, internal temperature or other endpoint; monitor the structure and look for a brown crust with a fully baked crumb.
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.
Read the editorial policy →
