Arlettes
Makes 8.
Note: Adapted from "The Great British Baking Show."
For the dough
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 c. bread flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 c. cold water
For the butter layer
• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. bread flour
For the filling
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
Powdered sugar for dusting, about 1/2 cup.
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup bread flour and salt. Then add melted butter and 1/4 cup cold water. Form a dough, then use your hand to compress the mixture into a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then pat into a 4-inch square. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
In the meantime, cut 1 stick butter into 8 pieces. Then with an electric mixer or pastry blender, combine with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 c. bread flour until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Use your hand to press the mixture together, then lay it on a 10-inch long piece of plastic wrap. Top with another piece of plastic wrap and, with a rolling pin and your hands, flatten the butter into a rectangle 4 inches wide and 8 inches long, keeping the edges straight and square. Chill for 25 minutes.
Unwrap the chilled butter layer (save the wrap) and place on a lightly floured surface. Run the rolling pin over it a few times to make it more pliable. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it in center of the butter. Gently fold the upper and lower flaps up over the dough so the edges meet in the middle. If the butter breaks a bit, just pinch it together.
Reflour the surface and roll the dough into an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle, taking care to keep the edges even. With a short end facing you, fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up so they meet in the middle. Then fold the dough in half along this centerline. This is called a book turn. Wrap in the saved plastic wrap and chill for 25 minutes.
Make another book turn in the chilled dough, as above. Re-wrap and chill for 25 minutes.
In the meantime, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to a rectangle as before. Here's where we've adapted the recipe to help combat the irksome sugar slippage (as Mary Berry might say.) Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture (about 2 tablespoons) over the center third of the dough, spreading evenly edge to edge. Fold down the top third of dough, enclosing the sugar.
Spread the rest of the sugar over that surface, spreading evenly. Fold up the bottom third of dough to enclose.
Press firmly to meld the sugar with the dough, then use the rolling pin to make a rectangle 4 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long. Take your time. You're not rolling so much as pressing the dough, since you're already close to those proportions.
Now roll up the dough from the short end to make a fat cylinder. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 25 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place racks at bottom and middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice a thin sliver from each end of the chilled cylinder for a clean edge, then cut into 8 (1/2-inch) disks.
Dust a work surface with powdered sugar. Place a disk on the sugar, then press with your open palm to flatten slightly and warm the dough. Dust disk with powdered sugar and roll into an oval shape, turning often to keep it from sticking.
If the outer "tail" starts to peel away, just press it back onto the disk. Each disk should be about 6 inches by 8 inches. They will be very thin. Place 4 on each baking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, then carefully turn over the arlettes. Return each sheet to the opposite rack and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Arlettes will keep for 24 hours stored an airtight container.
