The precise differences between monas, toñas, panquemados or bonfires are difficult to specify. They have in common being an enriched bakery dough, Swiss bun style, very traditional throughout the Mediterranean coast. The toña from Alicante It is usually eaten as breakfast or snack throughout the year, although they take on more prominence at Easter.
There are versions with potato in the dough, much larger toñas and others decorated with almonds; It can be flavored with orange, lemon or orange blossom, there are even those who make them with butter instead of oil.
In theory, if we decorated them with an egg they would no longer be toñas and they would become Easter monkeys, but in any case they are a delight that conquers young and old.
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Slightly heat the milk to leave it warm to the touch and crumble the yeast into it. Mix to dissolve it a little and reserve. In a separate container, mix the flour with the sugar and the orange or lemon zest and the orange blossom, if we use it. Make a hole in the center and add the eggs.; beat them a little with a fork and add the oil.
Pour the milk with the yeast and start mixing. When everything is incorporated, cover with a cloth and wait 20 minutes. Add the salt and start kneading with energy, trying not to add more flour. If it’s very sticky, it should become more manageable after a while of working with it. We can let it rest a little longer, covered, before continuing with the kneading. It can also be kneaded by machine.
When it becomes a homogeneous, elastic and soft mass, form a ball and place in a clean container lightly greased with oil. Give a few laps to grease, cover and let rise until doubled in size, between 2 and 4 hours. Prepare two trays with parchment paper and leave a tempered egg to brush.
After having risen, deflate on a clean work surface, knead a little and divide into 6 portions of the same approximate weight, about 150-160 g. Two larger toñas can also be made. Grease the table and your hands with oil if necessary, so that the dough does not stick.
Form balls by pressing the dough well at the base, to create surface tension and leave them smooth. Arrange on trays, leaving space between them., and brush lightly with the beaten egg -reserve what is left over-. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise again until they double in size, between 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Carefully remove the plastic and paint again with egg. Cover with sugar to taste and bake one tray at a time, lowering the temperature to 180ºC, for about 18-20 minutes. They should stay well toasted, but without burning. Cover with aluminum foil if they start to brown too much. Let cool on a rack.
With what to accompany the toñas alicantinas
The toña from Alicante, as we have already mentioned, are a typical bun for breakfasts and sweet tooth snacks. They are usually taken with hot chocolate or a glass of milk, also with an ounce of chocolate on the side. As is they are very tasty but they could even be filled with jam. They last well one or two days if they are kept in an airtight container, although it is best to freeze them individually when they have cooled down to enjoy them as freshly made after a few days.
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Alicante toña recipe, the tender variant of the panquemado and the mona to repeat throughout the year
was originally published in
Direct to the Palate
by Liliana Fuchs.