Hornazos from jaén (hornazos de jaén)

The first cook the eggs and reserve. There are two theories: those who take the egg without cooking (it will be cooked in the oven at the same time as the dough) and those who take the boiled egg. But I put them cooked and they are fantastic.

Put the warm water in a large bowl, or in the mixer bowl.

Add the baker’s yeast, each envelope has 5.5 gr, the extra virgin olive oil, the aniseed or anise grain, the salt, two eggs, the sugar and finally the flour.

Knead very well until obtain a homogeneous, somewhat sticky mass. Cover the dough and let it rise for one or two hours.

Take some portions from the risen dough and lightly knead it with your hands and shape them into a bun.

Place them on the oven tray. I advise you to put some oil on your hands, this way the dough will not stick onto your hands, so you shape it without any problem.

Make a well in the center and put the boiled egg on it.

Take a strip of dough and cross it over the egg and another strip forming a cross.

Let them rise for another hour, or if you are in a hurry, cook them in the oven at 50ºC.

When ready, brush it very gently with the beaten egg and sprinkle with plenty of sugar. Place them in the oven, preheated to 200º, cook it up and down (about 20 minutes or until golden brown).

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.