Best Fartons Recipe From Spain

Originating from Spanish desserts rooted in the Valencia region, fartons are one of those traditional treats that perfectly capture the essence of Mediterranean pastry culture.

You might be wondering what fartons are, and the answer is pretty simple: they are a type of spongy, soft bread covered with a sweet glaze.

Keep reading this article, and you will learn how to make fartons from scratch, with the best tips for storing, serving, and customizing this Valencian staple.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish dessert recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Spanish bread pudding

• Alfahores

• How to make Polvoron

Background of the Dish

The history of fartons is intrinsically linked to that of horchata, as both dishes originated in the same town, called Alboraya, located in Valencia.

In fact, it was created by the Polo family, who owned a bakery and were looking for a sweet treat that would complement horchata, ideally long and absorbent enough to be dipped in.

The result was the original dessert: a type of spongy, soft, and sweet bread that quickly became more than just a sidekick to horchata and shines on its own.

Every summer, people all over Spain enjoy the horchata and fartons pairing.

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Things You’ll Need for Fartons

To make them, you’ll need a few simple baking essentials — flour, sugar, eggs, yeast, oil, and milk — to create the soft, airy dough that gives these pastries their signature texture. 

A rolling pin and baking tray will help you shape and bake them evenly. 

Finally, don’t forget powdered sugar and water (or lemon juice) to prepare the light glaze that makes Fartons perfectly sweet and shiny.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup (100 ml) milk
• 1/3 cup (100 ml) water
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon (25g) fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• A pinch of salt
• Lemon or orange zest

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
• 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) milk or water

How to Make Fartons – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this soft fartons recipe, grab a large bowl and mix the flour with the sugar. In another pot, warm the milk and water over medium heat.

2. Now, dissolve the fresh yeast in the milk and water mixture. Add it to the bowl with the flour. Add the oil, egg, a pinch of salt, and grated zest, and mix everything together.

3. After that, mix until you get a smooth dough for a couple of minutes. Transfer it to a clean, floured counter or board and knead for 10 minutes.

4. Continue kneading until you get a smooth ball that’s no longer as sticky as it was at the beginning. Place it in a bowl and cover it with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Now take the bowl to a warm, room-temperature environment so the dough can rise for an hour, doubling its size.

5. In the meantime, preheat the oven for 15 minutes. After the resting time, divide the dough into smaller portions and shape it into an elongated shape, like a loaf or chorizo.

6. Then, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it, and place the fartons on the baking sheet with a little space between them.

7. For the next step, bake the Spanish fartons for 15 to 20 minutes at medium heat, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

8. For the glaze, grab a small bowl and mix the powdered sugar with 2–3 tablespoons of milk or water until smooth. Brush the glaze over the fartons Valencia while they’re still slightly warm, or dip them for a thicker coating. Let them dry for a few minutes before serving.

Substitution of Ingredients

The best part about making homemade fartons is that you can customize them like you would with any baking goods, especially sweet breads.

For example, you can copy other typical Valencian desserts and mix in some nuts, raisins, or dried berries to the dough, making them more similar to the classic Christmassy sweet breads from Europe.

For a bolder twist, you can play with the glaze: Add vanilla extract or a pinch of cinnamon instead of lemon zest to flavor it; both are a perfect match for the fartons.

If not, you can draw inspiration from the Spanish sugar cookies and Ensaymadas and dust some powdered sugar instead of making a glaze, which will save you some time, but you won’t have that classic sticky texture on the outside.

Tips on Serving Fartons

A match made in heaven are fartons with horchata, since the smooth consistency of the drink is perfect for dipping the fartons, especially during the hotter months of the year.

The traditional Valencian fartons are also served with hot chocolate and even coffee with milk in some places, as their mild sweetness and airy texture perfectly balance the rich, creamy flavors of these drinks.

If you are looking for places where to eat fartons in Valencia, you will notice that most of them serve them during the morning or afternoon hours, as it is a common breakfast or sweet snack item.

The good thing about making Fartons at home is that you can play with the ingredients and serving times, so nothing is stopping you from pairing it with savory dips (like aioli, blue cheese sauce, etc) if you don’t glaze them.

Are you ready to enjoy a table filled with Spanish sweets? Then you must incorporate other classics such as Churros, Mantecados, and Frixuelos de Asturias.

How to Store Fartons

The easiest way to store the fartons is to place them in an air-tight container and leave them at room temperature, where they can last up to 3 days (you may need to reheat them before serving).

Apart from that, you could freeze the fartons before glazing them, or store the raw portioned dough, which in both cases can last 1 month stored in the freezer.

Once you are ready to enjoy the fartons, let them thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat or cook them, then glaze and enjoy this Spanish delicacy.

Other sweet pastries from Spain you can make and store for later are the delicious Pestiños and the timeless Leche frita Recipe, so feel free to check those out as well.

Recipe Card: Fartons

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