Orange Cinnamon Vanilla Twisted Sister Pastry ………… with fat pig in the market

Layered, buttery pastry with crispy edges, sweet filling with a hint of orange

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It’s finally Easter break…..sigh, I think I needed this break more than I have in quite some time!  The only disheartening thing about our Easter Break is that when we come back we don’t have another extra day off until Memorial Day!   I know what you’re thinking, when I was in the private sector, I had holidays like most normal workers,  but let me tell you, you get use to a school schedule much too quickly, and this year we didn’t even have any snow days!!!

But that’s ok, because spring break is here, and now I have a little over a week to relax and let my poor battered body heal.  But that’s not why you’re here today, It’s Guest Post Friday,  my favorite time of the week when get to share my blog with one of my friends!

Today it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Jorie from fat pig in the market,  and there’s a bit of a funny story on how this guest post came to be.   I know we’ve all hit that submit button without re-reading what we wrote, and after her flustered email, and apology I had no choice but to offer her a guest post slot!   I was always intrigued by the name of Jorie’s blog,  fat pig in the market, never quite sure of where she got the name,  but it reminded me of the outdoor food markets in Paris…..sigh

You’re going to love Jorie’s blog, you’ll find quite the eclectic mix of tasty creations, from mojitos to matcha muffins, you’re sure to find something to please every palate, while her images weave a story to go along with each post!

So sit back, relax, put your feet up and let the oinking begin, as I give you Jorie and……….

 fat pig in the market

Hello. I’m the recipe scribbler, photo-snapper and writer of fat pig in the market. I’m also the IT chick which means all techie progress happens slowly with lots of Googling and confusion. I was happily reading Ask Chef Dennisand getting some wisdom thrown at me when I oinked my appreciation by leaving a comment. As soon as I hit Submit Comment I saw my mistake…big as Bigfoot stomping through the backyard, flattening the flowers.

I e-mailed Chef Dennisand fessed up. He gracefully and generously turned it into a friendly connection. Then he invited me to write a guest post for A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis. How cool is that? Very. It has layers of cool.

Chef Dennis…I’m making you my best pastry: Orange Cinnamon Vanilla Twisted Sister. Thank you for being my first friend on Foodbuzz, twitter, Pinterest, and Google Plus. You deserve some sort of amped up, lifetime version of the Most Valuable Foodie award you won at the Foodbuzz 2011 fest. And thank you for making my twisted words into a twist of fate.

I’m oinking at you!

This nest of pastry is layered, buttery, soft-centered. It has crisp edges, sweet filling, a wisp of orange.

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, thought, 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, unsprayed 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!

5 from 6 votes

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Layered, buttery pastry with crispy edges, sweet filling with a hint of orange

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Dough (will yield 3 Twisted Sisters)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons lukewarm water
• 3/4 Tbsp . granulated yeast
• 3/4 Tbsp . kosher salt
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling (will yield filling for one twisted sister)

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon *use 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon if not using Vietnamese cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• inch fresh vanilla beans from a 2 pod
• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
• zest of one orange

Instructions

Dough

1. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl.
3. Add honey and melted butter to beaten eggs. Gently and briefly mix together then set aside.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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

1. Melt the butter, set aside.
2. 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.
3. Add the brown sugar and mix with a fork to combine.
4. Zest the orange and set aside.
5. You’ll add the filling in this order: butter, cinnamon and sugar combo, zest.

Assembling the twisted sister

1. 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!
2. Grab a generous handful of dough. Plop it onto your floured surface.
3. 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.
4. Spread top with melted butter. Save a little for drizzling on top the coiled twisted sister later.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon, brown, sugar, vanilla and salt mix evenly and generously.
6. Add zest evenly across surface.
7. Fold one long edge to start roll.
8. Roll the dough into a long log.
9. Cut the dough log in half lengthwise.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Coil the twist into a nest.
14. 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.
15. Use the little bit of melted butter you saved earlier to drizzle over the center of the twisted sister.
16. *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.
17. 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.
18. Allow to cool a few minutes and enjoy. It pulls apart or you can slice it into servings.

Recipe Notes

*Best served fresh but totally good the next day. Store after cooling in a sealed plastic container. Can be reheated.

OMG!  Now that was one delicious Twisted Sister!  Although Jorie thank you very much for the title, now I can’t get the image of Dee Snyder singing “We’re not going to take it” out of my mind or that song out of my head!!!  LOL, I was never big into Glam Metal, thank goodness, Heavy Metal was just fine with me!   Lisa always says she is sooo happy she didn’t know me when I listed to metal….sigh.  Okay, enough of that, now before you forget head on over to fat pig in the market and say hi to Jorie, and don’t forget to tell her chef Dennis sent you!  Just make sure to give yourself enough time to go through her older posts, you’re going to love what you find!

Have a great weekend my friends, spring is definitely in the air so get outside and enjoy the weather!  To all my friends around the world celebrating the holidays that come this time year, may you have a joyous celebration of your faith and enjoy the company of family and friends!

Cheers!