Thin, irregular fried pastries finished with a light coating of sugar.
Orelletes are shared across several Catalan and neighbouring food traditions and appear in Andorra’s official recipe collection. Roll the dough very thin for crisp rather than bread-like results.
- Prep
- 30 minutes
- Cook
- 25 minutes
- Rest
- 1 hour
- Total
- 1 hour 55 minutes
- Serves
- 16 pastries (8 servings)
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
The recipe
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Before you start
Prepare the ingredients, follow the cooking stages in order, then allow the stated resting or chilling time before serving.
Ingredients
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl paid link
- Rolling pin paid link
- Deep heavy saucepan paid link
- Frying thermometer paid link
- Tongs paid link
- Cooling rack paid link
Method
Mix flour, yeast, 20 g sugar and salt. Add milk, 75 ml water and egg. Knead for 8–10 minutes to a smooth, supple dough, adding the extra water only if dry.
Cover and rest for 1 hour at room temperature. The dough should relax and become slightly puffy.
Divide into 16 pieces. Roll each very thinly, about 1 mm, on a lightly floured surface. Stretch into irregular ovals; keep unused dough covered.
Heat 5 cm oil in a deep, stable pan to 175°C, keeping the pan less than half full. Fry one pastry at a time for about 30–60 seconds per side until golden and crisp.
Drain on a rack over a tray, then sprinkle with the finishing sugar while warm. Keep the oil near 175°C between batches.
Chef’s notes
If dough springs back, cover and rest it for 10 minutes before rolling again. Keep water away from hot oil.
Tips and variations
The reference’s translated yeast measurement is ambiguous; this version specifies instant dry yeast. Crispness and yield still require kitchen verification.
Serve with
Serve the same day. Break large pieces by hand and share.
Storage
Cool completely before storing airtight at room temperature. Best within 1 day; humidity softens the pastry.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
Nutrition has not been calculated. Values depend on the ingredients and serving size.
Allergens
Contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg.
Made it?
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Questions
Can I bake these instead? Baking produces a different result; this method is for frying.
Why are they thick and chewy? The pieces were likely rolled too thick or the oil was too cool.
Sources and recipe context
Kitchen testing confirmed by Sixto Carreon on 3 November 2026. This is an editorial adaptation. Clarifies yeast type, sugar amounts, dough texture, rolling thickness and frying temperature.
The featured image was adapted from a licensed photograph using AI-assisted champagne-background and framing edits. It is not a Sixto kitchen-test photograph. The source shows large orelletes in Bellpuig, Catalonia. The recipe makes smaller home-sized pastries. Photographer, licence and editing details are in Editorial Standards.
