Chef notes
The mesmerizing swirls of these classic French pastries are easier to make than you think. With some strategic rolling, chilling and slicing, homemade palmiers can be just as stunning as they are in the display case of a fancy patisserie.
Swap option: Puff pastry is one of the most labor-intensive parts of this recipe. No time to make it? Pick some up at your local market to cut the time of this recipe in half.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water, cold
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups butter, divided (1/4 cup softened; 1 cup chilled)
- puff pastry, store-bought or homemade (recipe above)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup strawberry jam (optional)
Preparation
For the puff pastry:
1.Combine the water, both flours and salt in your stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix on low until combined, then add your soft butter. Mix until the butter has worked itself into the dough, then remove from the stand mixer and wrap, allowing to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2.Take the chilled butter for your butter block and spread it out into and 8-by-8-inch square on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Ensure this is soft and smooth, meaning that it is easily spreadable with a butter knife. Roll out the dough to 16-inch wide and 8-inch high, placing the soft butter directly in the center and folding the dough around it.
3.Gently roll out the dough width wise only until a half-inch thick. Imagine you can break this dough into thirds; that is how you will fold it. You will see three layers. Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right and again roll out to a half-inch thick, then fold into thirds. You need to turn the dough again and do one more three-fold. After the last three-fold, cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator. (If using store-bought puff pastry, omit these last two steps, because you already have everything completed! Just allow your puff pastry to thaw to room temperature so it is easier to work with.)
Palmiers:
1.Take your puff pastry and roll out into a sheet, 1-inch thick, 12-inches long by 18-inches wide. Once the pastry is down to an inch thick, heavily sprinkle granulated sugar onto your table and place the pastry on top.
2.Heavily sprinkle more sugar on top of that and use your rolling pin to push the sugar into the pastry. If using jam, then only sprinkle sugar on the bottom of the pastry and roll out to an inch thick, then spread a thin layer of jam on the top layer.
3.Starting at both the left and the right sides, evenly roll the pastry toward the center, except try to keep the rolls more flat than circular. Place on a piece of wax paper and into the freezer for 30 minutes.
4.Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5.Remove the pastry from the freezer and cut into 1-inch sections. These will look like funny hearts, but trust the process!
6.Place the palmiers 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle extra sugar on top. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
7.Pull the tray from the oven and use a small spatula or butter knife to carefully flip each pastry. Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until beautifully golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before enjoying.
