We’ve just decked out the Christmas tree at home. This year, the tree looks much happier because it received presents too, earlier than anyone else at home. It has a star standing tall at the top of its crown and new little shiny decorations on its branches. And now, there are new residents staying within its nests – little Octonauts who decided they would like to take a vacation in the tree for Christmas.
It seems a good time to start to wind down for the year, but work keeps flooding in relentlessly. It’s crazy, and it has been since the last quarter of the year, seemingly because 2022 looks to be a much better one and so everyone is planning ahead as if it’s going back to normal and overseas trips can be possible. But I very much doubt so. Next year is probably going to be the same as this year. The most anyone can wish for is that we don’t ever go back to year 2020. If it gets better, good.
Reminiscing overseas memories can be done best through food. This recipe was taken from a German recipe book about bread baking, and I’ve tried multiple recipes from it already. Each time I bake something, I am brought back to the bakeries in Frankfurt and Dresden where you can smell the sweet marzipan in the stores and the strong almond flavours. The memories are sweet too, and I treasure every inch of these memories.
Ironically, I didn’t find many types of bread in the German bakeries that are filled with vegetables and rolled up in horns back then, because many of them tend to be sweet stuff – donuts, icing, chocolate toppings, bretzels etc. This recipe looks decent enough, not too sweet and small enough as bites. I love the shapes of these horns too, they are easy to roll up and easy to knead. It’s definitely a manageable recipe for those who just started off baking.
Ingredients:
- Instant dried yeast: 11g (1/2 cube)
- Sugar: a pinch
- Milk: 150ml (warm)
- Plain flour: 350g
- Salt: a pinch + to taste
- Butter: 50g, room temperature, cubed + 1 tbsp
- Egg: 1
- Minced pork: 250g
- White onion: 1/2, finely chopped
- Garlic: 1, finely chopped
- Spinach leaves: 225g
- Ground blackpepper: a pinch
- Ground nutmeg: a pinch
- Egg white: 1, lightly beaten
- Egg yolk: 1, lightly beaten
- Honey mixture: 1 tbsp honey + 1 tbsp butter microwaved on low
Method:
- Combine instant dried yeast with sugar and milk. Leave in warm place for 10min.
- Combine plain flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl.
- Using dough hook, knead yeast mixture, 50g butter and egg till dough comes together. Leave to proof for 30min.
- In the meantime, prepare filling by heating 1 tbsp butter in pan.
- Fry minced pork and break them up.
- Stir in onions, garlic and spinach leaves.
- Stir in salt, blackpepper & nutmeg. Set aside to cool.
- Knead dough for 5min on floured surface. Roll out till 5mm thick.
- Cut dough into 14 triangles (approx 14cm). Brush with egg white.
- Distribute spinach mixture on top of dough at wider side. Roll into a horn, starting with wider side. Leave to proof for 10min.
- Preheat oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
- Brush top of horns with egg yolk. Bake 15 – 20min till golden brown.
- Brush top of buns with honey and butter mixture while hot.
Disclaimer:
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This recipe was kindly adapted from Brot Backen, published by Backlust (Germany).
Serving:
14 mini croissants
