Palmiers

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Mix 250 g all-purpose flour with 5 g salt in a large bowl, add 200 g very cold unsalted butter cut into fingertip-sized cubes and toss so the butter is coated in flour. The whole cubes of butter flatten as you roll, forming the puffy, flaky layers. The mixture is ready when every cube is dusted white with flour and still holds its shape.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Drizzle 125 g ice water into the bowl and gather and press the mixture lightly with your hands into a shaggy mass still studded with butter. Do not knead it thoroughly, because breaking up the butter loses the layers. The dough is ready when it holds together in a mass with large flecks of butter clearly visible.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Press the dough into a flat rectangle, wrap it well and refrigerate for about twenty minutes. A short rest lets the flour absorb the water and firms up the butter before the first roll. The dough is ready when the surface is cold and no longer sticky.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Roll the dough into a strip about 45 cm long and 15 cm wide, fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it a quarter turn, then roll and fold it in thirds once more; wrap it again and chill for thirty minutes. The dough looks very shaggy at first but gets smoother with every fold. The round is right when the dough is neatly square and the streaks of butter have stretched into long marbled lines.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Repeat the two rolls and letter folds as above, using very little dusting flour, then chill for another thirty minutes. Four folds in total create enough layers for the pastry to rise crisp. The dough is ready when it is smooth, the edges are straight and no large flecks of butter show.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Sprinkle half of 200 g granulated sugar on the counter in place of dusting flour, set the dough on it, sprinkle more sugar on top, then roll it into a rectangle about 25 by 35 cm and three millimeters thick. Sugar pressed into both sides of the dough becomes a caramel layer as it bakes. The sheet is ready when it is completely coated in sugar, flat and evenly thick.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Fold both long sides in so each one meets the center line, sprinkle on a little of the remaining sugar, fold them in toward the center once more, then fold one half over the other. This folding creates the two symmetrical spirals of the palmier. The dough is ready when it forms a long, six-layer log whose cross-section looks like the letter M.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Wrap the log and refrigerate for about thirty minutes. Cold, firm dough slices cleanly and keeps its shape in the oven. The log is ready when it feels as firm as cold butter.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   With a sharp knife, cut the log into slices about one centimeter thick and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, five centimeters apart. The palmiers spread out quite a bit, so leave room so they do not stick together. This step is done when the slices are evenly thick and the cut sides clearly show the spirals.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Preheat the oven to 200°C with a rack in the middle. The high heat separates the layers quickly while the sugar has time to caramelize. The oven is ready when the heating light first switches off.

    Mark step 10 as done

11. Step 11

    Bake at 200°C for about 10 to 12 minutes. The underside touching the tray caramelizes first. This step is done when the bottoms have turned amber and the edges have fanned out.

    Bake at 200°C for about 10 to 12 minutes.

    Mark step 11 as done

12. Step 12

    Flip each palmier with a spatula and bake at 200°C for another 5 to 8 minutes, watching closely so the sugar does not burn. Flipping gives both sides a glossy, crisp caramel coating. They are done when both sides are a shiny golden brown.

    Bake at 200°C for about 5 to 8 minutes.

    Mark step 12 as done

13. Step 13

    Move the palmiers to a rack while still hot and let them cool completely. The caramel hardens as it cools and makes the cookies shatteringly crisp; left on the tray, they stick fast. They are ready when they snap with a clear crack.

    Mark step 13 as done