Perfect Elephant Ear Puff Pastry
A crispy baked pastry made by wrapping sugar around folded puff pastry, with a texture reminiscent of caramel mille-feuille.
Ingredients
quick puff pastry (or use store-bought all-butter puff pastry)
1 batch (approx 350 g)
sugar (for sprinkling on the dough)
1/2 cup
Instructions
1
Roll the Dough
Sprinkle half of the sugar on the work surface and the quick puff pastry dough. Press the dough to soften it, rotate 90 degrees and continue pressing until the dough is soft enough to roll out. Keep a thick layer of sugar on the work surface and the dough, then roll the dough into an 8 x 12 inch (20 x 30 cm) rectangle.
2
Fold the Dough
If necessary, trim the edges of the dough to make them neat. Fold the two 12 inch (30 cm) sides toward the center, with the fold distance slightly less than half (approx 1.5 inches / 4 cm). Repeat folding each side toward the center – there should now be about 1/2 inch (1 cm) gap between the two folded sections. Fold again so the two ends meet in the middle, do not stretch the dough at the gap, otherwise the 'ears' will open up during baking.
3
Chill and Shape the Dough
Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the shaped dough. Cut it in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Scrape the remaining sugar on the work surface into a bowl and set aside for use after cutting the ears.
4
Preheat the Oven
Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
5
Slice the Dough
Take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the work board. Use a sharp thin-bladed knife to cut it into 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick slices crosswise. Dip the cut sides into the reserved sugar, then place them cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. If you want to bake all the elephant ears the same day, cut the second piece of dough and place it on another baking sheet, but only bake one tray at a time.
6
Bake
Bake the elephant ears until they puff up and the sugar is caramelized, which takes 10 to 15 minutes. Remove each elephant ear from the oven as soon as it is done, as some may burn faster than others. Cool on a wire rack – the side that touched the baking sheet during baking is the 'front'.
