Puff Pastry Roses

To prepare the puff pastry roses, first crumble the fresh yeast in a bowl 1, then add the cold milk 1 and water 2. Mix with a whisk to dissolve the yeast 3.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook 4, then add the flour 5 and sugar 6.

Also add the salt 7 and work at low speed for 5 minutes 8. The dough should not be too tight 9.

Work the dough on the work surface until you form a smooth ball 10, then place it in a bowl 11 and cover with several layers of plastic wrap 12. Let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

Now prepare the butter for laminating: in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the flour 13 and softened butter 14. Mix until you get a homogeneous mixture, being careful not to overwork it 15.

Transfer the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper 16, cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll it out with a rolling pin 17 to form a square about 8x8 inches, approximately 0.4 inch thick 18. Place this in the refrigerator to rest as well.

The next morning, take the risen dough 19 and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to obtain a rectangular shape twice the length of the butter square 20. Place the butter square in the center of the rectangle 21.

Fold the two side flaps towards the center 22 to cover the butter square, taking care to align the dough edges exactly in the middle 23. Roll the pastry again with the rolling pin in the direction of the folds, starting with small pressures to avoid breaking the butter inside. You should obtain another rectangle 24.

At this point, proceed with a three-fold by folding the side flaps towards the center and aligning them 25. With a sharp knife, score the long sides of the rectangle obtained 26. Transfer the pastry to a tray, cover with plastic wrap 27, and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

After this time, take the dough and make another three-fold 28 29, then place it on the tray 30 and let it rest for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator, still covered with plastic wrap. After this time, repeat the same operation for the third and final time, but let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1.5-2 hours.

Focus on the filling: place the softened butter in a bowl 31, then add the salt 32 and powdered cardamom 33.

Also add the sugar 34 and mix everything with a spatula 35 until you get a homogeneous mixture 36. Set aside at room temperature.

After the cooling time, take the pastry and roll it out with the rolling pin 37 to form a rectangle about 12x16 inches, approximately 0.2 inch thick. Cover the surface with the butter and cardamom cream, spreading it with a spatula 38. At this point, divide the rectangle lengthwise and cut it into strips about 6x2 inches 39; you should obtain 16 strips of pastry.

Roll each strip 40 to form swirls 41. Place the swirls in a well-buttered muffin tin, making sure to space them apart 42. Let rise in the switched-off oven with the light on for about 3 hours, occasionally spraying them with a little water to prevent the surface from drying out.

Meanwhile, pour the egg, yolk, and cream into a small bowl 43, add the salt 44, and mix 45.

After the rising time, brush the swirls with the cream mixture 46 and bake in a preheated fan oven at 355°F for about 6 minutes, then insert a ball of foil in the door to keep it slightly open and continue baking for another 12 minutes or so. When they are nicely golden, remove them from the oven 47 and serve your beautiful puff pastry roses 48!