Almond Crescents
Author: 
Recipe type: Pastry
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 32
 
These flaky, buttery pastries in the shape of a crescent are essentially croissants and are oozing with a melt-in-your-mouth almond filling.
Ingredients
  • 2¼ tsp yeast (1 package)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ¾ cup evaporated milk
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 cups flour
  • ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup firm butter (right out of the refrigerator)
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1-2 cans almond filling
Instructions
  1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
  2. Add the evaporated milk, salt, sugar and 1 egg and mix until combined.
  3. Add 1 cup flour and beat to form a smooth batter.
  4. Blend in the cooled, melted butter and set the batter aside.
  5. Pour 4 cups of flour into a separate bowl.
  6. Cut 1 cup of firm butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour, mixing them with a pastry blender or a fork until the flour and butter combine to make pieces the size of beans.
  7. Pour the yeast batter over the top of the flour and butter and mix the two together just until the flour is moist.
  8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for four hours or up to four days.
  9. Then, knead the dough on a lightly-floured surface for 6 turns.
  10. Divide the dough into four parts.
  11. While you shape one part, return the rest of the covered dough to the refrigerator.
  12. Working with one-fourth of the dough at a time, roll the dough into a circle with a 17-inch diameter.
  13. Cut the circle into eight pie-shaped wedges.
  14. Spread almond filling on the wedges.
  15. Then, starting with the outside edge, loosely roll each wedge toward the inner point. Shape the rolls into a crescent and place them point-down on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 1½ inches of space between each croissant.
  16. Lightly cover the croissants with a towel and let them rise at room temperature for two hours or until the dough has doubled.
  17. Mix 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl.
  18. When the croissants have finished rising, brush the top of each croissant with the egg-water mixture.
  19. Bake them at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until they are light golden in color.
  20. TIP: The croissants can also be frozen once they are shaped. Let them thaw and complete the final rise, then bake them as directed.
Recipe by Itsy Bitsy Foodies at http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/almond-crescents/