A good recipe just keeps on giving; it is the case with Hungarian Flaky Pastry. It’s the beginning of all sorts of wonderful confectioneries and
it’s so easy to make, I sometimes wonder why I bother with puff pastry. I made
these, I think, in the spring.
I had grandiose baking plans for last Christmas, but only a
fraction was accomplished and here we are in July and I am still trying to use
up some of the ingredients before they get stale or freezer burned. The
chocolates are all gone, boohoo, and I had to buy some almond flakes last week.
That’s when I remembered I had photos of flaky almond squares in the write me
up folder.
I recall past Christmases with immense baking efforts and
the times I went to M&M Meat Shop for some flats of frozen bars. We tried
various bakeries over the years at great cost with equal measure of
disappointment, but the best of times were when I baked and baked and gave
boxes and boxes of buttery, chocolaty confectioneries to anyone we knew. I am
less inclined to do that these days, baking with butter and good quality
chocolate became expensive, heck flour is expensive, plus it’s a lot of work
for a fastidious, germaphobe like me. What I wouldn’t touch myself, I won’t
unload on others. But it’s been years when I bought cookie tins and a variety
of tiny confectionery papers. If I live long enough it will all come to an end
and then I hope someone with clean habits will take pity on me. That or back to
M&Ms.
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups flaky almonds
- Prepare one batch of Hungarian Flaky Pastry.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the chilled pastry.
- Cut to fit the parchment lined baking pans.
- Place the pastry on the prepared pans.
- Spread the tops with the beaten egg and scatter flaky almonds on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, flaky pastry can bun very quickly.
- Remove from the oven.
- Immediately cut to the desired shapes. Once the pastry cools, it is not possible to cut pastry without breaking it apart.
