By
Diego Cortés
Golfeados are Venezuela's signature sweet bread: an enriched dough with egg and butter, scented with anise, rolled into a snail shape with papelón syrup and grated white cheese tucked into its folds, then finished with a warm melado glaze.
By oral tradition they were born in a bakery in the Caracas neighbourhood of Petare, and today they are the must-have bite along the roads to El Junquito and Los Teques. They are eaten hot with a slice of queso de mano: the salty cheese against the caramel of the papelón is what makes them addictive. They are perfect for a weekend breakfast or an afternoon snack with coffee.
If you love sweet doughs, try our milk bread and the yuca fritters with piloncillo and panela cheese; and to stay in Venezuelan cooking, the Venezuelan cachapa is another tradition from the same table.
Prep
45 min
Cook
30 min
Servings
12
Calories
450 kcal
Activate the yeast: mix the dry yeast with the warm milk (35-40 °C, never boiling) and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and let it stand 10 to 15 minutes until the surface is covered in foam.
Make the syrup: put the papelón with the water, anise, clove and lemon zest over medium heat and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and turns glossy. Set aside and let it cool slightly.
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar, the soft butter, the salt, the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the warm syrup.
Add the foamy yeast and the flour in two batches; mix with a spoon and then knead on a floured counter for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and comes away from your hands.
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm spot away from draughts, until it doubles in volume.
Knock it back: knead for 1 minute to release the air and roll it out into a rectangle 5 mm to 1 cm thick, about 40 x 30 cm.
Brush the whole surface with the warm syrup, sprinkle over the grated white cheese, the sugar and the cinnamon, and leave 3 cm free along one long edge so you can seal it.
Roll the dough up from the opposite long edge, press the cylinder firmly and seal the free edge onto the dough.
Cut the roll into 3 to 4 cm slices with a sharp knife and set them on the buttered tray cut side up, 2 cm apart.
Cover and let them rise again for 45 to 60 minutes, until they look puffed and almost touching each other.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C, add a splash of water into the gaps between the rolls and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden on top.
Brush them with the remaining syrup while still hot and serve warm with a slice of queso de mano and a coffee with milk.
This recipe has a medium difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
The preparation time is 45 minutes and the cooking time is 30 minutes.
This recipe is designed for 12 servings.
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.
