Orange Cinnamon Vanilla Pastry – Guest Post
This nest of pastry is layered, buttery, soft-centered. It has crisp edges, sweet filling, a wisp of orange.
Doesn’t that sound like the type of deliciousness you’d enjoy?
It starts with time and warmth…so many good things start with this simple combination.
To make this twisted sister you need yeast, water, eggs, honey, and flour…lots of flour. You need love in your hands. Add butter. Always.
You also need Vietnamese cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, vanilla beans scraped from the pod and orange zest. I used a Cara Cara orange because it was the best organically grown option available at my local market.
You’ll need to summon your Zen self: patient mind and gentle, confident paws. Plus flour. Don’t forget the flour for your work surface.
Orange nail polish is optional.
This recipe is perfect for a brunch party since the dough recipe will yield three twisted sisters. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for four days covered but not sealed tightly (let it breathe). Enough dough for three twisted sisters will give you plenty of twisting, coiling practice plus you can experiment with different fillings. The filling recipe will yield enough for one twisted sister…multiply it for multiples or experiment with your own version. Enjoy!
If you’ve tried this Orange Cinnamon Vanilla Pastry recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.
You might also like my Pan Dulce Recipe.
Orange Cinnamon Vanilla Pastry
Ingredients
Dough (will yield 3 Twisted Sisters)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons lukewarm water
- ¾ Tbsp . granulated yeast
- ¾ Tbsp . kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling (will yield filling for one twisted sister)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon *use 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon if not using Vietnamese cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- inch fresh vanilla beans from a 2 pod
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- zest of one orange
Instructions
Dough
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl.
- Add honey and melted butter to beaten eggs. Gently and briefly mix together then set aside.
- Combine lukewarm water, yeast and salt together in a 3 quart container using a sturdy fork or whisk. Add eggs, butter, honey mixture. Mix together briefly.
- Add half the flour. Mix it in with a fork or sturdy whisk. Add the remaining flour and mix. Use damp hands once your fork or whisk becomes overburdened. The dough will be damp and sticky. This is a no knead dough so just get all the flour mixed in and you’re done.
- Place dough in a warm spot, covered but not closed (you want air flow) for three hours. The dough will rise and be full of air pockets. Perfect!
- Refrigerate for approximately two hours for dough that is easier to handle. If you want to make pastry immediately the dough can be used at this point before refrigerating. Dough will be easier to handle once chilled but it will also need to rest for two hours after shaping and before baking.
Filling
- Melt the butter, set aside.
- Combine cinnamon, allspice, salt and vanilla beans together in a small bowl with a fork. Make sure you get the vanilla beans dispersed and mixed in well.
- Add the brown sugar and mix with a fork to combine.
- Zest the orange and set aside.
- You’ll add the filling in this order: butter, cinnamon and sugar combo, zest.
Assembling the twisted sister
- Dust top of dough with flour. Dust hands with flour. Covering your work surface generously with flour and some more standing by for sticky moments. Flour!
- Grab a generous handful of dough. Plop it onto your floured surface.
- Roll the dough into an oval, turning and keeping the dough well-floured the whole time. Roll out an oval at approximately 16 inches long by 8 inches wide.
- Spread top with melted butter. Save a little for drizzling on top the coiled twisted sister later.
- Sprinkle cinnamon, brown, sugar, vanilla and salt mix evenly and generously.
- Add zest evenly across surface.
- Fold one long edge to start roll.
- Roll the dough into a long log.
- Cut the dough log in half lengthwise.
- Turn the two halves so that the cut sides face up and you see all the layers of dough and cinnamon and such. Admire your artistry thus far.
- Pinch ends of the two halves together on one side and coil them a bit to get the two halves joined lightly at one end.
- Gently cross the ends over each other taking care to arrange the cut sides together as much as possible. Don’t stress. It’s gonna be pretty. Twist the two halves together till you use up the lengths and have one pretty twist.
- Coil the twist into a nest.
- Lift the coil up and tuck the final end under the center of the coil then gently let the coil fall into place. You don’t have to do any excessive pinching or sealing. Just arrange it nicely. Think Zen.
- Use the little bit of melted butter you saved earlier to drizzle over the center of the twisted sister.
- *If dough has been chilled prior to rolling and shaping then allow the twisted sister to rest in a warm place for two hours before baking.
- Bake on center rack at 350 degrees for 22-27 minutes. Pastry should be golden on top and feel firm to the touch in the center. Poke the center with your finger and you should feel some resilience.
- Allow to cool a few minutes and enjoy. It pulls apart or you can slice it into servings.
Shonagh
I feel like I’m being led down a recipe path as I was looking at a twisted pastry the other day, dreaming about making it. Perhaps with walnuts, cinnamon and rosewater. Yours has given me even more inspiration. Your twisted sister is beautiful.
torviewtoronto
lovely post this bread looks wonderful for anytime
Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie
I love the combination of spices and orange with the yeasted pastry. This looks like my kind of thing! XO
Tiffany
Beautiful pastry! I’m still afraid of yeast 🙁
Liz
Wow!!! This is one fabulous bread!!! Thanks for this excellent guest post, Chef Dennis! And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jorie!
Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb
nice to meet you Jorie!
Orange cinnamon, vanilla twisted pastry goodness in heaven! XD
That wouldnt survive a day in my house, garanteed!
Thanks for the nice step by step grid you provided with the recipee, its going to be usefull.
Happy Easter folks!
Jen
Those sound tremendous, and I love the idea of rolling them up like that – so simple and yet it makes for such a lovely presentation.
anna
wow, your name is hilarious and your pastry is incredibly impressive. nice to meet you!
mangiabella
LOL! you totally do deserve an amped up, lifetime version of the Most Valuable Foodie awared….you’ve got my vote…you’re friendship has meant so much….there is more to say, but for now, I hoppe you have a Happy and Blessed Resurrection Sunday Celebration
Tina@flourtrader
Jorie does have a unique wit and she does have some tasty things on here blog. Glad to see her guest posting for you Chef Dennis.
The form of this pastry is so eye catching, I have never seen anything like it. Also the three flavor notes as stated in the title sound like a great trio. Nice instruction to on the recipe and the photos are helpful.
Enjoy your Easter celebration!
Emily @ Life on Food
This looks amazing. I love the photo of the dough all round out. Smooth dough is always a great thing!
Charlie
Hello Jorie:
So nice to meet you. I’ll be heading over to your site.
These look so very good! I love the name.
I really am grateful, for the pics.
The slicing I don’t think I would have got without the visual.
Thank you for sharing.
Charlie
Charlie
Forgot to tell you that I found you via Chef Dennis.
fatpiginthemarket
Hello Charlie…I’ll see you over at the sty!
hi
OMG…………..
RavieNomNoms
That is so amazing! I love the look of this, it is so creative and appetizing!
Yesim
It looks amazing, i m sure the flavor is awesome but i m more interested with how it looks..it s talent definetly, whatever i do never look this much beatiful:(
Cher
Oh – lovely post, Jorie! And beautiful twist.
Chef – enjoy your holiday!
Amy's Cooking Adventures
What a lovely pastry! It looks so fun! And it is so nice that a friendship can be formed in unexpected ways.
Janet@FCTC
Oh my, this looks gorgeous… and delicious! Another winner guest post, Dennis and Jorie, nice to meet you 🙂
Elin
Jorie…this is an amazing twisted sister pastry. I can imagine how crunchy and orange cinnamon filled it is…mmmmm me too oinking away at you and Chef Dennis for sharing this fabulous pastry snack. I think I will look good with the orange nail polish on my trotters but Chef Dennis..I am not so sure…hahaha Lisa will faint I guess not from the Heavy Metal but the nail polish !
Have a wonder Easter break with your family and friends,
Elin
ping
Oooh, gorgeous! Can’t omit the orange nail polish …. that’s what makes the whole thing right 🙂 I can’t imagine CD putting it on to make this tho …
Alyssa
What a wonderful pastry! Perfect in time for Easter, certainly. And the photos are lovely too. I hope you both have a wonderful weekend!
Happy When Not Hungry
Wow this is beautiful and looks delicious!
Joan Nova
I don’t usually comment on pastry posts (limited sweet tooth, not a baker) … but this looks so delicious, I want to break off a piece and eat it immediately. I’ll settle for pinning it.
Kiri W.
Oooh, this looks just like my kind of pastry! Lovely to see Jorie here, I adore her quirky style 🙂
Great job both of you, as always.
fatpiginthemarket
Chef Dennis…you rock. That was the best and most fortuitous foot-in-the-keyboard moment ever. Sorry about the Dee Snyder mind loop. I have it too. I totally spell-checked and proofed this comment before I hit the button. Enjoy your break!