Cheese Bear Claw Recipes

BEAR CLAWS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Stir in sugar, salt and egg; mix well. Add the flour all at once, stirring until mixed. Set aside., For butter mixture, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; place butter on surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Press and roll out with a rolling pin. Scrape butter from rolling pin and continue to work the butter until it forms a smooth mass without any hard lumps. Knead in remaining flour, working quickly to keep butter cold. , Place butter mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a small rectangle. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a 9x6-in. rectangle. Set aside., Turn dough onto a floured work surface; roll into a 14x10-in. rectangle, with a 10-in. side toward the bottom. Unwrap butter mixture; place on dough 1 in. above bottom edge and 1/2 in. from each side edge. Fold top half of dough over butter and pinch edges to seal., Turn dough a quarter turn to the right; sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle. Fold bottom third of rectangle up and top third down, as when folding a business letter, making a 5-1/2x8-in. rectangle (this is called one turn). Rotate dough a quarter turn to the right. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle and again fold into thirds, finishing the second turn. Repeat rotating, rolling and folding two more times for a total of four times. Wrap loosely in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes., Roll dough into a 12-in. square; cut square into three 12x4-in. strips. Spread 2 tablespoons filling down the center of each strip to within 1 in. of long edge. Fold lengthwise over filling and pinch seam to seal. Cut each strip into three pieces. With scissors, cut each piece four times from pinched seam to about 1/2 in. from folded side. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Curve folded side slightly to separate strips and allow filling to show. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 400°. Brush bear clasws with egg. Bake 10-14 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; brush over warm rolls. Cool.

PUFF PASTRY BEAR CLAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Beat 1/3 cup superfine sugar and butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs yolks and beat well; beat in almond extract. Stir ground almonds and flour into butter mixture until mixture has a thick paste-like consistency.
• Cut puff pastry into 8 equal pieces. Place 1 tablespoon almond mixture in the lower center of each piece. Fold top of puff pastry down over the filling and press edges together to seal. Make three 1/2-inch cuts equal lengths apart on the bottom edge to make the "claws". Transfer pastries to a baking sheet.
• Whisk egg and water together in a bowl. Brush each bear claw with egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons superfine sugar and sliced almonds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

BEAR CLAWS

Steps:

• Scald milk. Stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm. Place the warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until yeast is dissolved. Stir in the milk mixture, egg and half of the flour; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Cover tightly with wax paper or foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Divide dough in half. Roll out one half on a floured board into a 9-by-18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle half of the almond filling OR half of the cream cheese filling over the dough. Fold outside third of dough toward center. Fold dough once more to make three layers. Pinch ends of dough to seal. Cut into nine 2-inch sections. Make four 1/4-inch cuts through the open side of each section. Place on greased baking sheets and shape into bear claw by separating the four cut sections. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and filling. Combine egg yolk with water and brush the tops of bear claws. If desired, sprinkle with some chopped nuts and additional sugar. Let rise, uncovered, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. A couple of tips: Making the dough the night before was a time saver. The directions say to bake the claws for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Ours were done after 8 minutes. For Almond Paste Filling: Melt and simmer for about 2 minutes the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cool slightly before using. For Cream Cheese Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Stir in flour, egg yolk, lemon zest and juice.

EMERIL'S BEAR CLAWS, DANISH TWISTS, DANISH POCKETS

Steps:

• **Divide the dough in thirds. A separate recipe for each type of Danish is preferred. Increase the fillings for each type. This recipe makes about 6 of each, depending on size of Danish.
• Bear Claws: Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. The longer the dough the more claws yielded. Egg wash the entire piece of dough. Spread a thin layer of almond filling horizontally down the center third of the dough. Fold the bottom third of the dough up to cover the filling. Fold the top third of the dough down, like your folding a business letter. Egg wash the dough. Sprinkle with crushed almonds. Cut 2-ounce portions. Make three slashes into the side of each portion, and spread gently into a horse-shoe shape to separate the toes. Proof until dough in size about 15 to 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Brush with apricot glaze.
• Danish twists: Roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. The longer the length the more twists yielded. Egg wash the dough lightly, sprinkle the entire surface with cinnamon sugar. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom. Slice 2-ounce strips with a pastry wheel. Twist loosely into desired shapes. Place on a baking sheet. Egg wash each twist. Proof until the dough doubles in size, about 15 to 20 minutes. Bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with apricot glaze.
• Filled Pockets: Roll the dough about 16 by 24 inches by 1/4-inch thick. Egg wash the dough. Cut the dough into 4 squares. Fold two opposite corners to overlap the center of the square. Egg wash the center portion of the pastry. Fill the open corners with the cheese or fruit filling. Proof the dough until dough in size, about 15 to 20 minutes. Bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with apricot glaze.