Amandelbroodje (Dutch Almond Pastry Roll)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Baking sheet, about 30 by 40 cm
• •Parchment paper
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Small mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the spijs

   Stir the almond flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt together in a bowl. Add the beaten egg and the bitter almond extract, if using, and mix until you have a heavy paste that holds its shape. It should feel like soft clay, not run like batter. Wrap it and chill for at least 20 minutes; overnight is even better, because the sugar hydrates and the lemon works its way through the almond.

   If you use prepared amandelspijs from a Dutch shop, buy one with almonds high on the ingredient list. Loosen 400g of it with a little beaten egg and fresh lemon zest before shaping.
2. 2

   Cut the pastry

   Heat the oven to 200C, or 180C fan, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Roll the cold puff pastry lightly on a floured surface to about 32 by 24 cm, then cut it into 8 rectangles, each roughly 8 by 12 cm. If the pastry softens while you work, slide it back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Bladerdeeg is polite only while cold.

3. 3

   Fill and fold

   Divide the chilled almond filling into 8 small logs, about 45 to 50g each, and lay one log lengthwise down the centre of each pastry rectangle. Brush one long edge of the pastry with a little water, fold the pastry over the filling, and press the seam and short ends closed. Turn each broodje seam-side down on the baking sheet. Don't flatten them; they should sit like small pillows.

4. 4

   Glaze and chill

   Brush the tops with beaten egg and scatter over the flaked almonds, pressing them very lightly so they cling. Chill the shaped pastries for 15 to 20 minutes while the oven finishes heating. This little wait is what buys you lift; if the butter melts on the tray, the pastry bakes flat and sulks.

   For a darker bakery shine, brush with egg once, chill for 10 minutes, then brush again before adding the almonds.
5. 5

   Bake until golden

   Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the pastries are deep golden, the almonds are toasted, and the sides have lifted into clear layers. A little almond paste showing at a seam is not failure; it is the pastry admitting what it is full of. Let the broodjes cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before dusting lightly with poedersuiker, powdered sugar, if you like. The filling is sweetest when warm, but it is also impatient with tongues.

Chef Tips

• •Keep the puff pastry cold at every stage. Butter makes the layers only if it reaches the oven firm; soft pastry gives you grease where you wanted leaves.
• •Make the amandelspijs a day ahead if you can. Freshly mixed almond paste tastes sandy and separate; a night's rest turns it into one fragrant filling.
• •Do not overfill. Amandelbroodje should be generous, not bursting. If the seam opens, the sugar leaks and burns before the pastry has finished baking.
• •Serve the same day for the best contrast of crisp pastry and soft almond centre. Reheat leftovers for 5 minutes at 160C to bring back some of the flake.

Advance Preparation

• •The almond filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it just soft enough to shape before using.
• •The pastries can be shaped and chilled, covered, up to 12 hours before baking. Brush with egg and add almonds just before they go into the oven.
• •Baked amandelbroodjes keep 1 day in an airtight tin, but the pastry is best within a few hours of baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 95g)