Semita de Piña (Salvadoran Pineapple Preserves Yeasted Pastry Pie)
Semita de Piña (Salvadoran Pineapple Preserves Yeasted Pastry Pie) is a traditional Salvadorean (from El Salvador) recipe for a classic pie made from a yeasted pastry with a pineapple preserve or marmalade filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Salvadorean version of: Salvadoran Pineapple Preserves Yeasted Pastry Pie (Semita de Piña).
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Semita, is a popular pastry in El Salvador, is basically a tart of yeasted dough filled with jam or other rich fillings. Semita de piña, with a tasty pineapple filling, as presented here, is a particular favorite in the country. Other types of semita are la semita alta and la semita pacha, both of which contain a third layer of rich, sweet, buttery dough and often also include jam.
Ingredients:
180ml Milk
130g Unsalted butter
50g Sugar
1 tsp Salt
90ml Warm (43C) water
7g packed Active dry yeast
600–725g plain flour
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
375ml Pineapple preserves or pineapple marmelade
2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 Egg
2 tbsp Milk or water
50g Sugar
Method:
Combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
Mix together the warm water and yeast in a small bowl and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Add 500g of flour to a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture along with the warm milk and the beaten eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients and bring the dough together.
Turn the resultant dough onto a floured work surface and knead, adding extra flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your hands and is silky, smooth and and elastic. Transfer this dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat in oil then cover with a clean tea towel or clingfilm and set in a warm spot until doubled in volume (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knock it back with your fists to deflate. Divide the dough into 2 equal-sized portions. Roll out one of the portions to fit the bottom of a greased, 28×40cm baking tin. Sit the dough in the baking tim, trimming it to fit, and saving the trimmings. Mix together the pineapple preserves and cinnamon and spread over the dough, leaving a 2cm border around the edges.
Cut about 1/4 of the second dough ball and set it aside. Roll the remaining 3/4 of the dough out to fit the baking pan as a top for the semita. Lay the second layer over the pineapple filling and trim it to fit the tin. Press down the edges of the semita with a fork to seal. Knead the remaining dough and trimmings into a ball and roll it out to around 6mm thick and about 25cm long. Cut the dough into long strips about 6mm wide.
Pre-heat your to 180C. Beat the remaining egg with the milk or water. Brush the top of the semita with the egg wash. Lay the strips of dough on top of semita in a criss-cross pattern, trimming them to fit. Brush the dough strips with egg wash and sprinkle the whole top of the pastry with a liberal amount of sugar. Set the semita aside to prove for about 30 minutes.
Poke the semita all over with a toothpick to prevent the pastry from over-puffing as it bakes. Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the semita is golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and set aide to cool. Cut into 12 portions and serve with coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
Pineapple is the most common filling for semita, but try other tropical fruit jams such as mango or guava. Other good choices are fig, plum or raspberry preserves.
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