Bear Claw French Toast 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.

ALMOND BEAR CLAWS

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss butter with 3 cups flour until well coated; refrigerate. In a large bowl, combine yeast and remaining flour. , In a saucepan, heat cream, sugar and salt to 120°-130°. Add to yeast mixture with 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Stir in butter mixture just until moistened., Place dough onto a well-floured surface; roll into a 21x12-in. rectangle. Starting at a short side, fold dough in thirds, forming a 12x7-in. rectangle. Give dough a quarter turn; roll into a 21x12-in. rectangle. Fold into thirds, starting with a short side. Repeat, flouring surface as needed. (Do not chill dough between each rolling and folding.) Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours or until firm., For filling, in a bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and almond paste; beat until smooth. Cut dough in half widthwise. Roll each portion into a 12-in. square; cut each square into three 12x4-in. strips. Spread about 2 tablespoons filling down center of each strip. Fold long edges together over filling; seal edges and ends. Cut into 3 pieces., Place on parchment-lined baking sheets with folded edge facing away from you. With scissors, cut strips 4 times to within 1/2 in. of folded edge; separate slightly. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Lightly beat water and remaining egg; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

BLACKBERRY-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Place the berries, 1/3 cup/70 grams granulated sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Roughly crush the berries with the back of a fork to help release some of their juices.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook at a strong simmer, stirring occasionally to ensure the berries never stick to the bottom and burn, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool and thicken for another 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, milk, rum, vanilla, a pinch of salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons/30 grams granulated sugar; set aside.
• Lay 4 pieces of bread out on a plate or tray, and divide the cooled fruit across the bread (about 2 to 3 tablespoons each), leaving roughly 3/4-inch of space around the edges of the bread. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread, and press down lightly to adhere.
• Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium-high and melt enough butter to coat the bottom. Just as the butter begins to bubble, float a sandwich on top of the egg batter for 3 seconds, then flip to soak the other side for 3 more seconds. Hold the sandwich over the bowl for 10 seconds to allow any excess batter to drip off, then transfer it to the hot pan. Repeat with as many sandwiches as will fit in your pan; you may need to do this in batches. Cook until deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adding butter to the pan as needed. Transfer to plates and dust generously with confectioners' sugar.