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Several Spanish olive oil tortas in a bowl lined with a lace linen cloth.
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4.91 / 21 votes

Spanish Olive Oil Tortas ~ Tortas de Aceite

Spanish olive oil tortas, or tortas de aceite, taste just like the store-bought sweet olive oil tortas by Ines Rosales when you follow our instructions. Crisp. Crackly. And with just the right amount of sweet. Here's how to make them at home as well as how to serve them.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 12 tortas
Calories: 176

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups Italian 00 flour* or cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • Scant 1/2 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking sheets
  • 2/3 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons raw sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  • All-purpose flour, for the work surface
  • 1 large egg white, beaten
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
  • In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour (180 g), salt, and fennel seeds.
  • Pour the oil into a measuring cup or another bowl containing the water, stir in the sugar and yeast, and mix well. Let rest for a few minutes until it becomes frothy.
  • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly pour in the yeast mixture, using a fork to gradually mix in the flour. When everything starts to come together, use your hands to mix it into a smooth dough. If the dough is sticky as heck, add some or all of the remaining 1 cup flour, a little at a time, until a smooth dough forms. It's quite possible you'll need to add at least 1/2 cup and as much as the full 1 cup.
  • Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets and then dust them with confectioners’ sugar. Lightly flour a clean work surface and a rolling pin with all-purpose flour.
  • Divide your dough into 12 equal-size pieces and shape each one into a ball. Roll out each ball until it’s almost translucent and somewhere around 4 inches in diameter.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: It's not a specific thickness, such as 1/16 or 1/8 inch, that you want to look for with the dough. Rather, it's when the dough becomes so thin as to be almost transparent. That's when you know it's at the proper place. And don't worry about attaining a perfect circular shape. These are intended to be rustic.

  • Place each torta on a baking sheet and lightly brush with some beaten egg white. Lightly dust the dough first with confectioners’ sugar and then a little raw sugar.
  • Bake for 5 to 12 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Watch the tortas closely as they can burn in seconds.
  • Immediately transfer the tortas to wire racks to cool and crisp. Devour warm or at room temperature. The tortas will crumble into flaky loveliness as you take a bite, and will then quickly dissolve into sweet nothingness within seconds. So lovely.

Notes

Variation: Tortas de Aceite de Naranja ~ Orange Olive Oil Tortas

Reader and home cook Cheryl Foote made an intriguing tweak to the recipe that I think is worth passing along. 
To make orange tortas, omit the 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds in step 2 and whisk 1 teaspoon of orange paste into the oil mixture in step 3 until combined. Proceed with the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1torta | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 201mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g