Rolled Folar de Olhão
This Algarve folar is more than sweet bread: orange dough is folded and rolled with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to create moist leaves and a caramelised crust. Clara de Sousa's domestic formula is cross-checked here against a baker's Olhão recipe and sources documenting its regional identity.
- Yields
- 2 small folares
- Prep
- 40 min plus 2-3 hr proving
- Cook
- 30-35 min
Ingredients
- 500 g T65 or bread flour
- 120 g Softened butter, for the dough
- 60 g Lard
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp, optional Ground fennel seed
- 11 g Dry baker's yeast
- 50 ml Lukewarm milk
- 200 ml Orange juice
- 30 ml Aguardente spirit
- 150 g Softened butter, for layering and tins
- 200 g Soft brown sugar
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- from 1 small lemon, optional Lemon zest
Method
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and leave for 5-10 minutes. The milk should not exceed about 38 °C / 100 °F.
Mix the flour, 120 g butter, lard, salt and fennel to a sandy texture. Add the orange juice, aguardente and yeast mixture.
Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Cover and prove until doubled, normally 1-2 hours.
Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon and zest. Generously butter two tall 15 cm aluminium tins, line only their bases with parchment and butter again. Scatter a little layering butter and spiced sugar over each base.
Divide the dough in two. Roll each half to a rectangle about 25 × 35 cm. Spread with half of the layering butter and sprinkle generously with part of the sugar.
Fold both long sides into the centre. Spread more butter and sugar over the resulting strip, then roll it into a spiral. Repeat with the other half.
Stand each roll in a tin. Finish with the remaining butter and sugar. Cover and prove again until nearly doubled.
Bake at 190 °C / 375 °F for 30-35 minutes. If the top darkens early, cover loosely with foil; the centre should reach about 93 °C / 199 °F.
Wait only 3-5 minutes, then turn out while still hot onto rimmed plates, wearing oven gloves: liquid caramel escaping the tin can burn. Remove the paper and leave to cool until warm.
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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