PALMIER RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• We traditionally bake potica in a cake pan called Poticnik. It's similar to a bundt cake pan, so you can use that or use a loaf pan. Grease with butter or lard and set aside.
• In a small bowl knead together yeast, sugar, and lukewarm milk. Set aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to grow. In a large bowl combine all-purpose flour, yeast mixture, and egg yolks. Knead for a minute, then add melted butter and salt. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or use an electric mixer and knead until the dough is nice, soft and elastic, for about 5 minutes (using a mixer). Cover with cling film and set aside for about 50 - 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Put the walnuts in a bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until the walnuts are fine. Transfer to a large bowl. In a saucepan combine heavy cream, floral honey, sugar, butter, rum (optionally), lemon zest and ground cinnamon. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then pour over the walnuts in a bowl. Stir to combine to get a nice walnut filling. Set aside for the mixture to cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with sugar to get stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the walnut mixture and stir to combine. The walnut filling mixture should be light, yet stirred well.
• Preheat your oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Generously dust your working area with flour. Roll the dough into a 40 cm x 35 cm / 16-inches x 13.5-inches rectangle, thickness 0.5 cm or 0.2-inch. Using an offset spatula, spread the walnut filling in an even layer over the dough. Starting at the shorter edge nearest you, tightly roll up into a tight log. Brush off any excess flour. Transfer the potica roll to the prepared pan so that the seam is looking upward. Make sure that the ends of the log are tightly pressed together or the potica won’t be as pretty and the filling will spread out while baking.
• Cover the potica with a towel or cling film and let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about 45 - 55 minutes.
• If you want to proof the potica overnight, you first need to leave out the first bulk proofing. Once you knead the dough, leave it to rest at your working surface for about 15 minutes, then roll the dough into a rectangle and spread the walnut filling over the dough. Roll, transfer to your prepared pan. Cover with cling film or towel and place in the fridge to proof for about 8 - 12 hours. Then, place the cold potica into your preheated oven to bake.
• Using a brush, gently brush the potica with lukewarm milk. Use a skewer to poke holes all over the top of the potica all the way through to prevent air bubbles from forming and separating the filling from the dough. Transfer the potica to the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 °C / 355 °F. Then lower the heat to 160 °C / 320 °F and continue to bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the nut roll is puffed and golden brown. Let cool slightly, for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Leave the potica to cool, then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. Enjoy.

Steps:

• Thaw the puff pastry, if frozen: If your puff has been in the freezer, place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Alternatively, place it on the counter to thaw, but keep an eye on it. Once the pastry is pliable, but still cool, it's ready — about 30 minutes.
• Roll out the puff pastry: If using store-bought dough, lightly roll the dough just enough to even out the seams. If using homemade dough, roll the dough out to a rectangle that is 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick.
• Sprinkle with sugar: Sprinkle most of the sugar in an even layer over the surface of the dough. Roll over it lightly with a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough.
• Fold the sides inward: Fold the left and the right sides of the dough inward so they meet in the middle.
• Sprinkle with more sugar: Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the dough. Again, roll over the dough lightly to press in the sugar.
• Fold the dough in half like a book: Fold the left side over the right side, like closing a book. This should make a very long, flat length of dough with the first two folds sandwiched in the middle.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes: Transfer the log to a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to give the dough time to firm up. This will make them easier to cut and also help them puff better in the oven.
• Heat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack in the middle position.
• Slice into cookies: After chilling, transfer the log back to the work surface. Use a sharp knife to slice the log across into cookies roughly 1-inch wide.
• Transfer to baking sheet: Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, laying them cut-side up. Sprinkle the cookies with more sugar, if desired. Make sure to space the palmiers a few inches apart — they will puff quite a lot in the oven! Bake in batches if necessary; place the un-baked cookies in the fridge to chill between batches.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until dark golden. If it seems like the sugar on the bottom of the cookies is starting to burn before baking is finished, transfer the baking sheet to a higher oven rack and reduce the heat to 375°F.
• Cool and eat! Let the palmiers cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They will become crispier as they cool. Palmiers are best the day they are made, but can be stored in an airtight container for several days. They will gradually lose their crispiness over time.