Enriched Yeasted Dough Sweet Cheese Pastries:

Equipment: Baking rings sized 8cm (d) x 2cm (h)

Recipe: 18 Individual sweet cheese pastries

Enriched Yeasted Dough (About 800g):

Sweet Cheese Filling:

Macaronnade (Almond topping):

Crumbles:

Preparation instructions:

For the dough:

1. Into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeasts, sugar and salt and whisk together to combine.
2. Add in the milk, eggs, vanilla and glucose syrup.
3. Start kneading on the lowest setting, until a dough starts coming together.
4. Gradually add the butter cubes, allowing a batch to be fully incorporated before adding the next batch of butter.
5. Once all the butter is added, knead in low-medium speed for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, using a silicone spatula, scrape the dough around the sides and bottom of the bowl, and keep kneaded on the same speed for 5 minutes.
6. The dough should be smooth, elastic, soft to the touch, shiny and barely sticky at all. It should pass the window pane test. Divide the dough into two parts, 400g each. Cover each part with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably, overnight (up to 48h). This step is very important before moving forward.

Cheese Filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the cheeses, sugar and vanilla paste. Gradually add the eggs until fully uniform and avoid incorporating air while mixing.
2. Sift the dry ingredients over the cheese mixture: flour, cornstarch and vanilla pudding. Using a spatula, fold until fully uniform and smooth, without any lumps. The mixture should be stable and slightly pasty. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a 20mm round, plain piping nozzle, and refrigerate until use.

Macaronnade (almond topping):

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients to a smooth paste without any lumps. Transfer to a piping bag and set to the side until use.

Crumbles:

Into a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Keep refrigerated until use.

Assembly and baking:

1. Preheat your oven to 190C (fan mode off), placing a baking rack at the middle shelf inside your oven.
2. Divide the dough into small pieces about 44g each. Take out 2g dough portions out of each piece. Shape the larger pieces into smooth balls.
3. Roll each dough ball into a circle about 15cm (d) large. Pipe the cheese filling in a ring shape, about 2cm away from the edge of the dough circle. Very carefully, pull the edge of the dough and lift it over and across the ring of filling, towards the center, then press with your finger tightly to secure it (see video demonstration). Make sure your fingers do not touch the filling, otherwise the dough would not stick properly. Repeat this process of pulling the dough from the edge towards the center, in a clockwise direction, until the dough looks like the shape of a doughnut.
4. Use one of the small 2g pieces set to the side earlier, and stick it to the center of each pastry.
5. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, evenly arrange baking rings (also lined with strips of parchment paper).

Note: The role of the baking ring is to help maintain the shape of the pastry, so that it rises inside it during baking and avoid spreading to the sides. However, if you do not own baking rings, you can still do without them, only take into consideration that the final shape of the pastry after baking will look different.

6. Place each pastry inside the baking rings, pipe the macaronnade over the dough and sprinkle each pastry with the crumbles.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 above with the rest of the remaining dough. There is no need to proof the pastries before baking (10 minutes max if you really want to).
8. Bake for 22 minutes. It is recommended to turn the baking sheet around after 18 minutes, in order to promote even baking and browning of the pastries.
9. Cool down completely over a cooling rack. Once cooled down, you can decorate with powdered sugar.