Pasteis de Nata Recipe - Delicious Portugal

Make pasteis de nata yourself

A pasteis de nata recipe to make yourself! The Portuguese custard tarts are often served there for breakfast. They have us at ours Journey to the Alentejo They tasted so good that we have been baking them at home ever since. We got the recipe from one of ours Trips to Savor brought along. This way we can experience the culinary delicacies of Portugal again in our home kitchen. This is a recipe that you can make at home with just a few ingredients. The original Pasteis de Nata recipe comes from a bakery in Belem. Thousands of these delicious dough pies are made there every day. In the hotels on our Alentejo trip there was always a large selection of pastries for breakfast in the morning. This ranged from chocolate cake to lemon cake. However, the pasteis de nata were always part of it. That's why we're introducing you to a Pasteis de Nata recipe that you can use to bake the delicious tarts at home.

Pasteis de Nata recipe

You need this for the dough:

600 g flour
1 / 4 TL sea salt
200 ml water
16 EL soft, stirred butter

Pasteis de Nata recipe for the cream:

3 tbsp all-purpose flour (or a a gluten-free alternative, e.g. buckwheat flour)
300 ml of milk
350 g sugar
1 cinnamon stick
150 ml water
1 / 2 TL vanilla extract
6 big egg yolk, beaten

For the garnish you also need:

granulated sugar
Cinnamon

Preparation of the Pasteis de Nata recipe:

First you make the dough

1. Using the blender, stir the flour with the salt and water until you get a soft dough that will come off the bowl.
2. Then you roll out the part to an approximately 15 cm large rectangle on a floured surface. Dust the dough with some flour, cover it with cling film and let it rest at room temperature for about 15 min.
3. Then you roll out the dough into a rectangle with about 50 cm side. While doing so, lift the dough off the base. So you make sure that it does not stick.
4. Excess flour then scratches off the dough. Cuts odd edges. Then you brush the left 2 / 3 of the dough with a little less than 1 / 3 of butter. Leave an edge of about 2 cm free.
5. Then you fold the unbaked right dough third over it. Wipe off excess flour and fold over the left third of the dough. Then you push the dough down with your hand, so that possible air bubbles escape. Then squeeze the edges of the dough to seal it.
6. Then roll out the dough again and repeat steps 3-5.
7. For the third and final rolling up of the dough turn the dough 90 ° to the left and roll out the dough to a 50 + 55 cm rectangle. The shorter side should point to you. Then smear the entire dough surface with butter.
8. Use the dough spatula to loosen the dough and roll it into a tight roll. Make sure to remove any excess flour. Then cut the ends straight and divide the roll in half. Then wrap each half in cling film and put them in the fridge for at least two hours. You can freeze this dough for up to 3 months. A simple Pasteis de Nata recipe.

Then you prepare the cream:

1. Stir the flour and 75 ml of milk into a smooth dough.
2. Then bring the sugar, cinnamon stick and water to a boil in a small pan and cook until it reaches 100 °.
3. In the meantime, bring the rest of the milk to a boil in another pot. You then mix these with the flour mixture.
4. Removes the cinnamon stick. Then pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the mixture of hot milk and flour. You stir it vigorously. Then add the vanilla extract and stir for a minute until the mixture is warm but not hot. Mix in the egg yolks. Then pour the mixture into a bowl and cover it with cling film. Put them aside. The pudding will be runny. You can freeze this for up to 3 days.

 

 

Next you make the pasteis de nata:

1. Preheat the oven to 290°C. Remove a rolling pin from the refrigerator and roll it back and forth on a lightly floured surface until it is about an inch thick and 40 inches long. Then cut them into 2 cm long pieces. Place a piece of dough, cut side down, in a coated muffin tin. Then let the dough pieces soften for a few minutes until they are ready to be worked.
2. Provide a cup of water. In it you keep your fingers crossed. With these you reach into the middle of the dough spiral. Then press it against the bottom of the mold to a dough thickness of about 5 mm. Then you squeeze the dough up the sides until a protruding edge of about 1 cm is created. The dough sides should be thinner than the bottom.
3. Then fill each of the dough containers 3/4 full with the slightly warm pudding. Bake the pasteis de nata until the edges curl and brown. This takes about 8-9 minutes.

 

 

They taste best with granulated sugar

Remove the mold from the oven and let the Pasteis de Nata cool in the mold for a few minutes. Then let it cool on a grid until just warm. Then sprinkle the Pasteis de Nata liberally with hail sugar and then with cinnamon. They taste best when served immediately.

 

 

Mistakes when making pasteis de nata and how to avoid them

There are a few common mistakes that can happen when baking. But you can avoid them. With these tips, every Nata will be a little piece of perfection!

Mistake 1: The dough is not thin enough

Pasteis de Nata need a very thin dough. If the dough is too thick, it won't be really crispy. So roll the dough out really thin. Almost so thin you can see through it!

Mistake 2: The filling gets too hot

Be careful when cooking the cream! If the milk and egg mixture gets too hot, the egg will curdle. You want to avoid that. Therefore, heat the mixture slowly and stir constantly. It should be thick but not boiling.

Mistake 3: Too little temperature when baking

The high temperatures are the secret. Pasteis de Nata must be baked at a very high temperature so that they become crispy on the outside and nice and creamy on the inside. Your oven should reach at least 250 degrees Celsius. If your oven doesn't get that hot, let it preheat longer.

Mistake 4: Taking the natas out of the oven too early

The surface of the pasteis should be golden brown and slightly caramelized. Give them enough time in the oven to achieve that perfect color. If the surface still looks too pale, let it bake for a few more minutes.

With these tips, your pasteis de nata will definitely be a success!

 

 

Freeze pasteis de nata

Have you ever thought about freezing your homemade pasteis de nata? This is actually a great way to enjoy this delicious Portuguese pastry for longer. Here I'll show you how to successfully freeze the pasteis de nata and then thaw them again later.

How to freeze the pasteis de nata:

1. Allow the pasteis de nata to cool completely. This is important so that they don't start sweating in the freezer bag.
2. Wrap them individually in cling film. This will prevent them from sticking together.
3. Place the wrapped pasteis in an airtight container or freezer bag. This will protect them from freezer burn.
4. Label the container with today's date. Pasteis de Nata will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

And this is how you thaw them again:

1. Take the desired number of pasteis de nata out of the freezer.
2. Remove the cling film and place it on a plate.
3. Let them thaw at room temperature for about two hours.
4. For a particularly tasty result, warm them briefly in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius until they are slightly crispy.

With these simple steps you will always have a supply of your favorite treat on hand and can enjoy it fresh and crunchy at any time. Ideal for unexpected guests or when you simply feel like eating a sweet Portuguese pastry!

Do you have your own tips on the best way to freeze pasteis de nata? Then let us know in a comment. We're happy about it, and our readers will certainly appreciate your tip.

 

 

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Source: own research on site for the Pasteis de Nata recipe. We were invited on this trip by Aptece, Visit Alentejo and the Rota do Peixe. Our opinion, however, remains our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs as well as TravelWorldOnline and Unsplash