Salt and Pepper Twists
A savory appetizer made with puff pastry, filled with salt and black pepper, twisted into spirals and baked.
Ingredients
Quick puff pastry (or store-bought all-butter puff pastry)
1 batch (about 350 g)
Egg wash (beaten with a small pinch of salt)
1 large egg
Kosher salt or coarse salt
2 tsp
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tsp
Instructions
1
Rolling the dough
Prepare a lightly floured work surface. Press the quick puff pastry dough into a rough square, then roll it out into a 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) rectangle. Roll gently; if the dough springs back, let it rest for 5 minutes before rolling again. If the dough ever becomes too soft to work with, slide a baking sheet underneath and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Once rolled out, loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2
Preheat the oven
Position the racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
3
Seasoning
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over half the surface of the dough, creating a 12 x 9 inch (30 x 23 cm) rectangular area.
4
Fold and re-roll
Fold the dough in half to enclose the salt and pepper, so the dough itself becomes a 12 x 9 inch (30 x 23 cm) rectangle. Lightly flour the work surface and the dough, and re-roll the dough into a 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) rectangle. If the dough starts to soften, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5
Cutting strips
Using a sharp pastry wheel, cut the dough into 1/2 inch x 12 inch (1 x 30 cm) strips, about 36 strips total.
6
Twisting into shape
Twist each strip into a spiral: place it at a 45-degree angle to the edge of the work surface. Roll the side farthest from the work surface toward you so it sits parallel to the edge. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheet and press the ends of the dough against the edges of the sheet to keep them from spreading during baking. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 1 hour.
7
Baking
Bake the twists for about 10 minutes, then swap the bottom baking sheet to the upper rack and the top one to the lower rack, rotating the sheets front to back at the same time. Continue baking until the twists are puffed, dry, and golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
8
Trimming and cooling
As soon as the baking sheets come out of the oven, use a long sharp knife to trim the ends of the twists and cut them in half crosswise. Cool on a rack set inside the baking sheet.
