Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Fruit

By searching the internet, you will be able to find hundreds of tutorials on how to fold puff pastry shapes. One of them is the pinwheel. Easy enough to make in 4 steps. Fill the centre with a cream or custard and decorate with mixed berries and a preserve.

At most, the puff pastry might be more challenging, but a good basic to get the hang off. Should you not be up for this challenge, you may use a sheet of store bought puff pastry instead.

Pâte Feuilletée (Puff Pastry)

Resting / Chilling time: ± 3 hours
Yield: ± 500 g

Ingredients

225 g strong white bread flour

1½ tsp salt

225 g cold butter

15 ml lemon juice

150 ml cold water

Method

1. Prepare the détrempe
   Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub or cut 25 g of the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Prepare the butter block
   Place the remaining butter between two sheets of clear film. Using a rolling pin, gently beat and shape the butter into a flat 15 cm square. Keep chilled until needed.

3. Mix the dough
   Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Stir the lemon juice into the water and add most of it to the bowl. Mix using a round-bladed knife, adding more water if needed, to form a soft but not sticky dough.

4. Enclose the butter
   On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 25 cm square. Do not knead, even if the dough appears uneven. Place the butter diagonally in the centre of the dough (so it looks like a diamond). Fold each corner of the dough over the butter to enclose it completely.

5. First roll and fold (turn)
   Roll the pastry into a 40 × 15 cm rectangle. Fold the lower third up over the middle third, then fold the top third down over it. Seal the edges gently with the rolling pin. Brush off excess flour, wrap in clear film, and chill for 30 minutes.

6. Repeat the turns
   With the sealed edges positioned at the top and bottom, roll the pastry out to the same size again. Fold, wrap, and chill as before.
   Repeat this process five more times, chilling between each turn. This process will make 729 layers!

After the final turn, the puff pastry is ready to use.

Pinwheels

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 10–15 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

500g Puff Pastry dough

Preserves (Apricot jam / Strawberry jam)

Custard / Whipped cream

Mixed Berries

Method:

1. Roll each sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle measuring approximately 40 × 20 cm. Cut each rectangle into 8 equal squares (about 10 × 10 cm each). Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.

2. Place about 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of apricot preserves in the centre of each pastry square. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits from each corner towards the centre, stopping about 2 cm from the filling.

3. Fold every second corner over the filling towards the centre, overlapping the points slightly. Press gently to seal.

4. Transfer the pastries to a lined baking tray and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon mixture.

5. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and golden brown. Remove from the baking tray and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving with a dollop of custard and fruit on top.

Credit: Puffpastrymaths