[Sca-cooks] Anybody made Welserins Spanish Pastries?

[Decker, Terry D.]

Why, yes, I have, thank you.

If you look at recipe 61 To Make a pastry dough for all shaped pies,
Welserin uses 2 eggs and a lump of fat the size of a goose egg to about 1
pound of flour (about 3 level, unsifted cups).  Add just enough water to
make a soft smooth dough.  Another way is to find a brioche recipe and leave
out the yeast.

When you go to roll it out, roll the dough between your hands to make a long
rope about 1 inch or so in diameter.  Make the rope shorter than your
rolling surface.  Lay the rope of dough on a floured surface and roll it out
starting with a pass the length of the dough.  This will give you a roughly
rectangular shape as directed.  Usually, the thinner you roll the dough, the
crisper the pastry, but the more filling you will use.

Melt butter, brush it on the rolled out pastry.  Sprinkle sugar down the
center of the pastry on top of the butter.  The sprinkle coarsely ground
almonds on top of the sugar.

Welserin doesn't specify, but I recommend brown sugar.  I think the flavor
is better and this isn't an application where the sugar needs to be visible.
It's a place where she would save money by using the cheaper sugar (remember
that she is a member of one of the merchant banking families of Augsburg and
knows the value of money).

There are two ways to roll this.  Take one edge and begin rolling the pastry
as you would to prepare cinnamon rolls, giving you a spiral of dough and
filling, then seal the open edge to the roll of dough. Or, fold the two
edges into the middle around enough sugar and almonds to make a "sausage"
and crimp the two edges together.

Cut the "sausage" into segments, crimp the ends and bake them on a greased
baking sheet (I actually used greased baker's parchment on the baking sheet
to ease clean-up).  While you can use a knife to do the cutting, I used a 4
inch dough or bench knife (heavy rectangular 4 inch long blade with a handle
along the top edge).  The blade measured the length of the pastries, cut the
dough and served as a scraper to lift the pastries off the rolling surface
and onto the baking sheet.

Bake around 350 degrees F until done.

The verb "bachen" can mean either baked or fried, however the title
"Spanisch baches" suggest to me this pastry is actually baked (of course, I
may be half-baked with these thoughts).

If you are making them for a feast, be sure to find a good work surface.  I
did 170 of them for Moonschadowe Guardian a little over a year ago and I
assure you it is tedious work.

If you choose to glaze them, beat an egg white into about a tablespoon of
water, then brush a light coat on the upper surface of the pastries.

Bear

>
> Has anyone attempted the following recipit from Sabina Welserin:
>
> 199 To make Spanish pastries
> First prepare a firm dough with eggs and fat and roll it out
> very thin, as
> long as the table, and sprinkle ground almonds and sugar,
> butter or fat over
> it and roll it up over itself like a sausage. Afterwards cut
> it in pieces
> and close up both ends. In this manner make one after the
> other and turn the
> underside to the top. And bake it in a smooth pan, with fat
> in the pan. And
> let it bake in a weak heat, with a hot cover over the top,
> and serve it
> cold.
>
> If so, any pointers? My main sticking point is the
> fat/flour/egg ratio - I
> don't know where to start! (whimper, whimper - Bear?:)
>
> Glad Tidings,
> Serena da Riva