Polacca Aversana

Ingredients

• 500 g Strong flour (380–390 W)
• 85 g Sugar
• 25 g Brewer’s yeast
• 210 g Water
• 75 g Whole eggs
• 30 g Potato flakes (Instant mashed potato flakes)
• 17 g Milk powder (Alternatively, use half water and half liquid milk; the quantity is not specified in the text)
• 11 g Salt
• Flavorings of choice (Added as a flavoring paste; type and quantity are to taste)
• 85 g Butter (Or lard or margarine; for the dough)
• Roll-in butter (Or pastry margarine; quantity not specified by the creator)
• Pastry cream (Quantity to taste; the recipe is said to be available on the author’s other channels)
• Sour cherries (A few sour cherries for each pastry; quantity not specified)
• Flour for dusting (Use a small amount on the work surface)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the flour and the other dry ingredients, except the salt, in the bowl of a stand mixer. The author says to aerate the dry ingredients, without specifying the duration or speed.

2. 2

   Add the sugar and yeast, then pour in the water and eggs. Set aside one teaspoon of the recipe’s liquid to add with the salt.

3. 3

   Knead until the ingredients begin to combine and a good gluten network forms.

4. 4

   Add the salt together with the reserved teaspoon of liquid and continue kneading.

5. 5

   Once the gluten network has formed, add the butter for the dough and the flavoring paste. Knead until completely absorbed.

6. 6

   Remove the dough from the machine, shape it into a ball, and place it in a container. Let it rise until doubled in volume.

7. 7

   After it has doubled, divide the dough if that makes it easier to work with. Place it on a baking sheet and chill it until it becomes pliable: about 30 minutes in the freezer or 2–3 hours in the refrigerator.

8. 8

   Flatten the roll-in butter. Roll out the chilled dough and shape the butter into a similar form, more or less the same size as the dough. Place the butter on top and give the dough a letter fold, keeping the butter on top of the dough without enclosing it first.

9. 9

   Chill the laminated dough again; in the video, the author leaves it in the freezer for about half an hour. Then roll it out gently on a lightly floured work surface to about 5 mm thick, so that triangles can be cut.

10. 10

    Cover the rolled-out dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out and let it rest on the work surface for about 15–20 minutes.

11. 11

    After resting, gently stretch the dough with your hands and cut it into triangular shapes. The author indicates a length of about 15 cm, up to a maximum of 20 cm; the Polacca is shorter than a classic croissant.

12. 12

    Place a little pastry cream in the center of each piece and add a few sour cherries.

13. 13

    Bring the two flaps toward the center, forming a hollow that contains the cream. Fold them over at the center and rotate the pastry to complete the seal. Repeat with all the Polacche.

14. 14

    Arrange the Polacche for their final proof. You can bake them immediately after proofing or freeze them and, when needed, let them proof for 3–4 hours before baking. For the proofing method described, place them in the oven with a little water to maintain humidity and prevent the surface from drying out; let them rise until nearly doubled in volume.

15. 15

    Preheat a fan oven to 200 °C. When you put the Polacche in the oven, reduce the temperature to about 175 °C.

16. 16

    Bake for about 15 minutes, no longer, until baked through and golden. The author notes that at 180 °C they became slightly too brown and suggests reducing the temperature by about 5 degrees.

17. 17

    Remove from the oven and immediately loosen the Polacche from the baking sheet with a spatula.

Notes

The video does not specify the quantity of butter for lamination or the amounts of pastry cream and sour cherries. The flavorings are left to taste. The ingredient list specifies butter, lard, or margarine for the dough; for lamination, the author mentions butter or pastry margarine. The same dough can also be used to make croissants.

Nutrition per serving

• breakfast
• sweet
• yeast-based
• laminated
• Italian
• baked
• with pastry cream
• with sour cherries