All about pastry

It's been a long winter so far, and I've been thinking about this blog post for far too long. So, here we go.

December was a month of marathon baking -- cakes, cookie boxes, and lots of focaccia for family and friends. It was joyful and stressful and wonderful and I loved it. As the new year came close, I decided it was time for some laminated pastry.

I had seen the recipe for Spelt Croissants many times when I flipped through Dessert Person looking for the next recipe to try. For a while, I didn’t have spelt flour, and then I was focused on trying other recipes. Well, I finally bought some spelt flour and readied myself.

Note: Spelt flour is a lovely nutty, deeply flavourful whole grain flour.

It’s funny, because there are times of late where I get very calm before baking. This was one of those times. I made the dough and took my time getting the butter block ready. I had my ruler, scale and sharp knife ready. When I began to roll out the dough and wrap the butter block inside like a secret present, the world went very still.

Lamination can be challenging and frustrating. What I have learned through many days of trial and error is the following:

you need to make sure the dough stays as cold as possible at all times.
the dough will tell you if it needs time to relax -- if it doesn’t want to stretch, it won’t and this means it’s time to rest
patience, organization and precision can make a big difference

I rolled out my dough, and performed the folds and turns required to make the ‘book’. I let the dough rest in the fridge and freezer and then began the process again. I trimmed the edges, used my ruler and tried to keep everything neat and tidy. And when it came time to pull these out of the oven, I can say that I was so proud of these croissants. Minimal butter leakage, lovely and light, shatteringly crisp and velvety and buttery inside. All baking feels like an accomplishment, but I have to say when laminated pastry turns out the way you want, it's euphoric.

And so, I decided it was time to try kouign-amann.

I had made danish using the dough last year, following a Dessert Person recipe. They were very tasty, but I was curious about kougin amann. Often called the fattiest pastry in the world, kouign amann is a laminated pastry made with salted butter and rolled in sugar. This gives it a carmelized, sweet crunchy exterior and a deeply savoury buttery interior. When you make mini versions, in a muffin tin, they are called kouignettes. Cute, right?

I find this dough a bit stiffer than croissant dough. When you get to the end product, the layers really hold their shape which feels so impressive.

I tried this recipe three times. The first time, I was distracted. I left the dough in the fridge for longer periods in between rolling and shaping and then entirely missed a step where sugar is added in a fine layer to the dough during the last roll and shape - although I did make sure to coat them in sugar before setting them in muffin tins. I also cut them too small. They were delicious, but not at all the final product I was looking for in shape and size.

The second time, I was more regimented and patient. I took my time and watched the video for this recipe as well as read through the book. I was getting closer, but when I pulled the kouignettes out of the oven to press a little divet in the centre, I pressed a bit too hard. This pushed down the layers at the centre. I also missed a mini step of adding a little sprinkle of sugar directly to the muffin tins before adding the sugar coated bundles in.

The final time I made this recipe, I also took the time to roll out the dough as expansively as possible in the first few steps. You really need to use as much elbow grease as possible. I cut them a bit larger so they filled out my muffin tin nicely. I was gentler in creating my little centre divet. And, I kept them in the oven a touch longer for a deeper colour. These were crunchy, sweet, savoury and so butter-forward.

Note: I have to say that I become more and more inclined to use a ruler, a scale and a thermometer when I am baking. I’ve found it really helps me hone different recipes for a more polished final product.

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies