Tarta portuguesa

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine 90ml (3 fl oz) of water and 1g (1/4 tsp) of salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.

2. Add 140g (4.9 oz) of plain flour to the saltwater mixture. Use your hands to mix until you achieve a relatively smooth dough, which should take approximately 8-10 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, take the butter out of the fridge. It should soften but not reach room temperature; it needs to be spreadable without being too soft, as overly soft butter can squeeze out of the pastry.
4. After 30 minutes, roll the dough into a rectangle about 50cm x 30cm. Spread 1/3 of the softened butter over 2/3 of the dough.
5. Fold the dough like a letter. Take the top third (without butter) and fold it halfway down over the buttered section. Then, fold the bottom third over the top.
6. Repeat this folding process with the folded dough. Then, place it in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
7. After an hour, remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out again into a 50cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the butter across the entire sheet.
8. Roll the sheet lengthwise into a long tube. Crimp the edge to ensure it stays rolled. Place it back in the bag and refrigerate for another 2 hours (or longer if needed, even overnight).
9. For the custard filling, mix 20g (0.7 oz) of flour with 30ml (about 1 fl oz) of milk until smooth. Gently warm the remaining milk with the vanilla until it starts to steam. Once hot, whisk it into the flour-milk mixture.
10. In a pot, combine 120g (4.2 oz) of sugar, 80ml (2.7 fl oz) of water, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a light simmer until the sugar dissolves fully, then mix this into the milk-flour mixture.
11. Cool the mixture to 60°C (140°F), then whisk in the egg yolks.
12. Preheat the oven to 250°C (482°F), using no fan setting.
13. Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut it into 12 even pieces. Lightly grease a muffin tray. Place one pastry piece into each muffin cup, pressing down and outward with your fingers to form a pastry cup.
14. Fill the pastry cups two-thirds full with the custard. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops start to color slightly. Let them cool before serving. Enjoy!