- 3/4 cup [190 mL] warm water [105 to 115°F / 40.5 to 46°C]
- 1/2 cup [125 mL] warm milk [105 to 115°F / 40.5 to 46°C]
- 1 teaspoon [5 mL] pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 ounce [7 g] active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup [60 g] sugar
- 1 teaspoon [5 mL] salt
- 4 cups [560 g] flour
- 1/2 teaspoon [2.5 mL] cardamom
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup [225 g] cold unsalted butter
- Flour for dusting, about 1/2 cup [70 g]
- 1/2 cup [125 mL] any apricot glaze
Egg Wash
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon [15 mL] water
Sweetened Cream Cheese
- 1 [8-ounce / 227-g] package cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons [30 mL] honey
- 2 tablespoons [30 mL] cream or milk
Cinnamon Rolls
- 3 tablespoons [45 g] sugar
- 1 tablespoon [15 mL] ground cinnamon
Pinwheels
- 12 tablespoons [180 mL] sweetened cream cheese
- 12 teaspoons [60 mL] raspberry jam
Bear Claws
- 1 cup [250 mL] any almond filling
- 1 cup [250 mL] crushed almonds
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- Into the bowl of an electric mixer, combine together warm water and milk, vanilla and yeast.
- With the mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat mixture on low for about 4 minutes to dissolve the yeast.
- Sift together sugar, salt, flour and cardamom.
- Add this mixture and the egg yolk to the yeast mixture.
- Mix on low until mixture lightly comes together, increase speed to medium and beat until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and climbs slightly up the dough hook.
- Remove dough from bowl; refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Transfer cold unsalted butter onto a floured surface.
- Lightly dust the top of the butter with flour.
- Using a rolling pin, lightly pound the butter until flat.
- Fold butter in half and continue to pound until butter is workable.
- Using your hands, shape butter into an 8-inch [20-cm] square.
- Transfer cold dough onto a freshly floured surface.
- Roll dough into a 16-inch [40-cm] square.
- Place butter in the center of the dough.
- Fold the ends of dough in towards the center, forming a package.
- Lightly press the ends into the dough, sealing the package completely.
- Carefully lift the package off of the surface and dust the surface once more with flour.
- Lay the package back down onto the floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into an approximately 24-inch [60-cm] rectangle.
- Fold one end of the dough to the center, then the other end, so that it resembles a letter, and forms a square.
- You should have 3 layers of dough.
- Refrigerate and allow dough to rest for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare sweetened cream cheese for the pinwheels.
- Roll out cold dough a second time, this time forming a rectangle.
- Repeat the folding process from above 2 more times, making sure that dough rests between turns.
- Then beat together egg wash ingredients; set aside.
- Prepare cinnamon rolls, pinwheels and/or bear claws to get 12 pastries.
Sweetened Cream Cheese
- Beat cream cheese using an electric mixer until smooth.
- Mix in honey and cream or milk until of spreading consistency.
Cinnamon Rolls
- Roll dough out into a 1/4-inch [6-mm] thick rectangle.
- Egg wash dough.
- Mix together sugar and ground cinnamon; sprinkle over the egg wash.
- Starting at the bottom, roll dough up lengthwise, like a jelly roll.
- Cut the pastry into 1-inch [2.5-cm] thick slices.
- Arrange slices, cinnamon and sugar side onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Leave to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F [200°C].
- Brush the tops of each pastry with egg wash.
- Bake into preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350°F [180°C] and bake for approximately 10 minutes more, until browned and crisp.
- Immediately brush pastries with apricot glaze.
- Leave to cool slightly before serving, warm.
Pinwheels
- Onto a floured surface, roll dough out into a 1/4-inch [6-mm] thick square.
- Cut dough into 12 [4-inch / 10-cm each] squares.
- Brush edges of dough with egg wash.
- Add a spoonful sweetened cream cheese in the center of each square.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon [5 mL] raspberry jam in the center of the cream cheese.
- Cut diagonally from each corner to within 3/4-inch [2-cm] of the center.
- Fold the four alternate points to the center pressing them down lightly to hold them in place.
- Arrange pastries onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet; leave to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F [200°C].
- Brush the top of each pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake into preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350°F [180°C] and bake for approximately 10 minutes more, until browned and crisp.
- Immediately brush pastries with apricot glaze.
- Leave to cool slightly before serving, warm.
Bear Claws
- Roll dough out into a 1/4-inch [6-mm] thick rectangle.
- The longer the dough, the more claws yielded.
- Egg wash the entire piece of dough.
- Spread a thin layer of almond filling horizontally down the center third of dough.
- Fold the bottom third of dough up to cover the filling.
- Fold the top third of dough down, like your folding a business letter.
- Brush dough with egg wash.
- Sprinkle dough with crushed almonds.
- Cut dough crosswise, starting at shorter end, into 1-inch [2.5-cm] pieces.
- Make 3 slashes into the sides of each piece; spread gently into a horse-shoe shape to separate the toes.
- Arrange pastries onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet; leave to rise for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F [200°C].
- Bake into preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350°F [180°C] and bake for approximately 10 minutes more, until browned and crisp.
- Remove from oven, brush with apricot glaze, and serve.
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