Currant Wheels
Submitted by missterry
Currant wheels are buttery pastry spirals filled with currants, sultanas, and chopped almonds, then topped with a simple sugar glaze while still hot. A European bakery classic in under an hour.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
50 minThink of these as the sophisticated cousin of a cinnamon roll. Rolled pastry gets brushed with soft butter, scattered with currants, golden sultanas, chopped almonds, and vanilla sugar, then rolled up Swiss-roll style and sliced into pinwheels.
After a quick bake, they come out golden and flaky with swirls of fruit and nuts peeking out from the layers.
The warm icing goes on right out of the oven, melting into the pastry and setting into a thin, crackly glaze that adds sweetness without being cloying.
Twelve pastries in about 50 minutes, and they’re just as good with morning coffee as they are after dinner.
Baker’s Tips
- Use a sharp knife to slice the rolled log. A dull blade will squash the spiral and push the filling out the sides.
- Flatten the wheels only slightly before baking. Press too hard and they won’t puff up properly in the oven.
- Ice them while they’re still hot so the glaze melts and soaks into the top layer. Cold pastry won’t absorb the icing the same way.
Ingredients
Directions
Roll out the pastry to a rectangle 14X18 (45X35cm) and brush with the fat.
FOR THE FILLING: mix together the filling ingredients and distribute evenly over the pastry.
Starting from the shorter side, roll up like a swiss roll.
Then use a sharp knofe to cut off slices about 1¼ inch (1 1/2cm) thick.
Lay these on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly.
OVEN: preheat for 5 minutes.
BAKING TIME: 15 to 20 minutes FOR THE ICING: Sieve the icing sugar and blend with as much of the water as will give a good coating consistency. Ice the currant wheels while still hot
Comments