Poppy Seed Crescents

Submitted by ellie_

"Posted per request. This recipe is very time consuming and labor intensive, but you can make a lot of the parts in stages and refrigerate for a day or so. Recipe source: Bon Appetit (September 1982)"

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 32 pastries

ingredients

• For the pastry dough

• 2 eggs, room temperature
• warm water
• 5 tablespoons dry yeast (or 2 envelopes active dry yeast)
• 3 3⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄2 cup milk, warmed to lukewarm
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• For the poppy seed filling

• 1⁄4 cup poppy seed
• 1⁄2 cup hazelnuts, plus
• 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 lemon, juice and zest of

• For the glaze

• 2 ounces almond paste
• 1 drop almond extract
• 1 egg white, beaten

directions

1. To make dough: Combine eggs in a 1-cup measuring cup with enough warm water to equal 3/4 cup and transfer egg/water to large bowl and then stir in the yeast. Let stand until mixture bubbles (5 minutes).
2. Whisk in 3/4 cup flour, milk, sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm area 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Batter can be refrigerated for 24 hours, stirring bubbles out of batter before refrigerating and then bring to room temperature before continuing).
3. Combine remaining flour (3 cups) with salt in a large bowl. Add butter and mix, working butter into flour with fingertips--butter should remain about the size of a lima bean and not be totally incorporated into flour. (If yeast mixture is not ready to use refrigerate flour/butter mixture until ready to use).
4. Pour yeast batter into flour/butter mixture, folding in using a rubber spatula, moistening the flour but not breaking up the butter. Dough will be crumbly.
5. Turn dough onto floured board, patting dough into a 12 x18 inch rectangle. With a metal spatula fold right 1/3 of dough towards center, then left 1/3 over to cover. Lift folded dough up from board and sprinkle with flour. Repeat 3 more times. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes or up to 24 hours before proceeding.
6. To make filling: Using a food processor, combine poppy seeds, hazel nuts and raisins, mincing using of/off turns. DO NOT FORM A PASTE.
7. Heat milk with sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add poppy seed mixture and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice and lemon peel. Let cool.
8. To make glaze: In a small bowl beat almond glaze until softened. Beat in almond extract. Gradually add egg white, mixing constantly until smooth.
9. To assemble pastries: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
10. Divide dough in half (return one half to refrigerator).
11. On a floured board roll dough out to form a 7 x 30-inch rectangle. Trim dough to make dough exactly 7 x 30 and have edges even.
12. Mark dough at 3-inch intervals on both long sides. Cut dough diagonally into triangles going in a zig-zag pattern from one side to the next.
13. At the base of each triangle, cut 1/2 inch long slit in dough. Place one teaspoon filling on each triangle one inch from base, spread dough out slightly on each side of slit, lifting dough over filling and rolling up completely towards the point. Transfer to pastry sheet, point side down. Curve slightly o form crescents. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover pastries with plastic wrap. Repeat with second half of dough and remaining filling. Let pastries rest for 30 minutes.
14. Preheat oven to 400°F.
15. Brush pastries with glaze, avoiding cut edges.
16. Bake 10 minutes, reduce oven temp to 350°F and bake 10 more minutes or until golden brown.
17. Cool on wire rack.

Reviews

[rosie316]

We had these on Saturday for our dinner with every dish having "poppy seeds" in it (a total of 6 dishes including several sides and a dessert). I am still on "poppy seed" over-dose. I must make a confession... I cheated on this recipe. I was starting to tackle this on Friday night, but found myself "in way over my head". I called the neighbor across the street (who was going to be joining us Saturday night) and asked her to come over and help me. She looked at my mess and took a printed out copy of this recipe back to her house. She reappeared Saturday night with them completed (Thank goodness). They were YUMMY. I hope one day to take another crack at them. Thanks for posting. (Made for PRMR)

 

[Kittencalrecipezazz]

This recipe is very good, I have a recipe that I have used that is similar to this one,I prepared the dough for this recipe a day in advance as stated, the filling from this recipe is wonderful although I found that the dough needed more flour added when preparing it as it was little sticky, thanks for a great recipe Ellie!...Kitten:)