Another deceptively easy but incredibly tasty recipe this week! I’ve seen a lot of these floating about the socials, but thought we can do better… and as always spice it up! 

These Orange and Cardamon Palmiers, are zesty, earthy and spiced with the mouthwateringly delicious caramelised butter taste of the traditional french Palmiers. Perfect for afternoon tea or just scoffing in one go! These treats are well worth the effort which is minimal for french baking! If you are not up for making your own rough puff pastry, you can use shop bought, and skip right to the stage of adding the sugar. Note that they may not be as buttery, and will be more flakey, but to counter this be VERY liberal with the sugar mixture to lean into that caramel finish. If you are unsure of using Cardamon you can swap for cinnamon, or for a christmassy twist use All Spice. 

Ingredients

325 g plain flour

250 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed

1/2 tsp salt

Ice cold water (see recipe for details)

For the filling -

200 g caster sugar

1-2 tsp cardamon (more if you like it stronger)

Zest of 2 large oranges 

Method

1 - 

Begin by adding your flour and salt to a large bowl and mix briefly to combine. To this, add your cold cubes of butter and, working quickly, press each cube of butter with your finger and thumb to make large flat pads of butter, ensuring each cube is pressed and coated in flour. 

2 - 

Once all the butter has been squashed, add your ice cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together with only a few dry crumbs remaining. This should take approx 150-200 ml of water in total. Tip your mixture out onto a clean work surface and press together into one piece and then into a rough square. Then, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour until firm. You can also chill overnight. Do not worry if the dough seems a little dry as it will hydrate as it chills. As long as 90% of the dough comes together when pressed, you are on the right track. 

3 - First fold

Once your dough has rested and is fully cold and firm, turn out on to a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle approx 1-2cm thick. Do this as best you can; however, the dough will still be a little crumbly at this stage so don’t be alarmed. When you have a rough rectangle, fold one-third up and then the other third over the top of this, like a letter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill again for 20 mins or until fully firm. 

4 - Second / Third Fold

Repeat this rolling and folding two more times, each time chilling fully between folds. As you repeat, you should notice the dough getting smoother and easier to work with. Try to ensure that you maintain a neat rectangle and folds as this will help with shaping at the end. Chill for 20 mins or until fully firm.

Next, combine your sugar with the cardamon and orange zest, mix, and set aside.

*** At this point, if you are not ready to bake, you can store the dough for up to 1 month in the freezer. If you will bake it in the next day or two, storing it in the fridge is fine. Only proceed to the next step when ready to bake ***

5 - Fourth Fold

Remove your dough from the fridge or freezer and, using spices and sugar rather than flour on your work surface, roll your dough out into a long rectangle approx 20 x 50 cm. You can be liberal with the sugar and space mix. Ensure to roll it into the dough. Once rolled into a long rectangle, fold this letter style as before, sandwiching a thin layer of sugar as you do. Wrap tightly and chill once more for 20 mins. Do not over chill at this stage as the sugar will draw in moisture and make the dough sticky.

6 - Fifth Fold

For your fifth and final fold, repeat the rolling from the previous step using your sugar mixture and trim into a neat shape. You should have a 20cm x 50cm rectangle (any off-cuts can be used as baking tests to check oven temp). Ensure plenty of sugar is coating the dough. Gently fold the dough in half to give you a centre line. Then, unfold and take one of the short edges and fold half way towards the centre line, before repeating this on the other end. Take these folded ends and fold again towards the centre, leaving a small approximately 2 cm space. You should have what looks like an open book with a space running down the centre. Finally, fold the dough in half along this gap you have left, closing the book shape. Wrap tightly and chill for 20 mins whilst the oven preheats to 200 degrees C.

7 - 

Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into 2 cm slices. Place on a lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for expansion (a silicone baking sheet is super handy). Bake for 8-10 mins until puffed and lightly golden. At this point, flip them and return to the oven to bake for a further 5-10 mins until deep golden and caramelised. Be sure to check regularly at this point as not to burn them as they do catch fast at this point. Once baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully. Store in an air tight container at room temp for 2-3 days.

Best eaten with a cup of tea / coffee.