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Iowa Dutch letters
Almond pastry S-shapes
Almond-paste-filled puff pastry S-shapes from Pella
AmericanEvery May the small town of Pella, Iowa, celebrates its Dutch settlers with the Tulip Time festival, and the bakeries on the square sell these flaky pastry 'letters', traditionally shaped as an S for Sinterklaas. A log of sweet almond paste is rolled in rough puff pastry, curved into an S, brushed with egg and sugar and baked until crackly. Chef's tip: seal the pastry seam well and bake seam-side down, or the almond filling bubbles out.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the filling
- 7 oz ground almonds
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
For the pastry
- 1 ⅛ lb all-butter puff pastry
- 1 eggbeaten
- 3 tbsp sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the 7 oz ground almonds, 5 ½ oz sugar, 1 egg, ½ tsp almond extract and 1 tsp lemon zest to a firm paste. Divide into 10 and roll each into a 25 cm sausage on a sugared worktop. Chill 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll the 1 ⅛ lb all-butter puff pastry to about 3 mm and cut into 10 strips of 10 × 26 cm.
8 minStep 3: Lay a log of filling on each strip, brush the edges with 1 egg, wrap tightly and press the seam and ends shut.
10 minStep 4: Set seam-side down on lined trays and bend each into an S. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with 3 tbsp sugar and prick a few holes with a fork.
5 minStep 5: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until puffed and deep golden. A common mistake is warm pastry, which won't rise; chill the shaped letters 15 minutes if the kitchen is hot.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does iowa Dutch letters take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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