Lovely and True

We had our annual Christmas baking day at my mom's house yesterday. It has evolved into quite an event, with all the women in my family gathering together and bringing along oodles of children age 3 and under. Somehow we manage to be quite productive, even while breaking up toddler fights and chasing wandering ones back into the fold. I've had a couple of friends ask about our bear claws, so I was careful to take some pictures of the process as we made them. Here is the recipe, and yes it is quite lengthy and involved! Anyone up for a baker's challenge?

Buttery Almond Bear Claws

Dough

1 cup butter

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 c warm water

1/4 c sugar

3 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp. salt

5 oz evaporated milk

2 1/3 c. flour

almond filling (recipe to follow)

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Filling

Smoothly blend together 1/2 cup butter at room temp with 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar. Add 2/3 cups all purpose flour and 7 or 8 oz. almond paste. Stir until crumbly and evenly mixed, then beat in 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 of the reserved egg whites. Stir in 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds. Cover and chill until firm (24 hours).

How to make:

Melt butter and then let cool to room temp. Dissolve the yeast in water, then stir in the 1/4 cup sugar, the egg yolks (save the whites), salt, evaporated milk, and cooled butter. Stir into the flour and mix well. Cover and chill at least 24 hours. Meanwhile, you can make the almond filling, and then when you are ready to make the bear claws, let the filling sit out at room temp for 1 hour to make it easier to spread.

To form bear claws, roll dough out on a well floured surface to a 13x27 inch rectangle. Straighten the edges with a ruler or yardstick as you roll. Cut the rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips. Divide the almond paste into three portions and roll each into a 27 inch rope on a floured board. Lay one filling rope in the center of each strip of dough and flatten slightly. Fold long sides of each strip over filling, overlapping slightly. Cut each filled strip into 6 segments. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp floured knife, make a row of cuts halfway across each segment and about 1/2 inch apart. Curve each bear claw so it fans out. Lightly beat the remaining egg white and brush over bear claws, then top with sliced almonds. Let rise on countertop for 20 minutes, then bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Now you will want to take a nap!

Laney and Noah decorated (and ate) sugar cookies to occupy their busy little hands.