Top | Lynne Sampson Curry

Three-Way Orange Twists

(recipe, Lynne Curry)


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Introduction

Flavored with orange zest, orange juice, and orange-flower water, these easy special-occasion breakfast pastries rise overnight to bake in time for breakfast.

Ingredients

    Dough
    1. 4¼ cups (21 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
    2. 2¼ tsp. (¼ ounce package) dry instant yeast
    3. 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
    4. 2 tsp. sea salt
    5. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
    6. 1 cup buttermilk
    7. 4 tsp. orange-flower water
    Filling
    1. 1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
    2. Zest from 1 large orange (about ¼ cup)
    3. ½ cup granulated sugar
    Glaze
    1. 2 Tbsp. orange juice
    2. ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
    3. ½ tsp. orange-flower water

    Steps

    1. Make the dough: Blend together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and orange-flower water and stir with a rubber spatula into the flour mixture to make a rough dough. Knead for 8 minutes by hand, 5 minutes on medium speed in a stand mixer, or 12 to 15 revolutions in a food processor with the dough blade. The dough will be supple and somewhat sticky. Let the dough rise in the mixing bowl covered with a damp cloth for 1½ to 2 hours, until nearly doubled in bulk.
    2. Make the filling: Knead together the softened butter, orange zest, and sugar in a small bowl with a rubber spatula until well blended. Set aside.
    3. Make the glaze: Squeeze the juice from the zested orange and whisk it into the confectioner’s sugar along with the orange-flower water. Set aside.
    4. Assemble the twists: Lightly flour the counter, turn the dough out of the bowl onto the flour, and use your hands to press the dough into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-by-18-inch rectangle ¼-inch thick.
    5. Use the rubber spatula to spread the butter filling over one half of the dough, lengthwise. Fold the long edges together to form a long, narrow rectangle 6 inches by 18 inches, and press lightly to seal. Use a pastry knife or a chef’s knife to slice the dough into 12 sticks, each 1½ inches wide.
    6. Oil a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Twist each orange stick 3 or 4 times and line them up in 2 wide columns in the dish. Spread the glaze on each twist with a pastry brush, then cover the pan with a damp cloth and place in the refrigerator to rise for 8 to 12 hours. (If baking the same day, let rise unrefrigerated for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the twists have swelled together.)
    7. Bake the twists: Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until they are spotted golden brown. Let them stand 5 to 10 minutes, then pull apart to serve.