Equipment
Ingredients
Detrempe (Base Dough)
- 250 g bread flour
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 220 ml water, cold
- 60 ml whole milk, cold
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 10 g salt, fine sea salt
- 10 g instant yeast
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened
Beurrage (Butter Block)
- 250 g unsalted butter, cool but pliable
Frangipane
- 100 g almond flour, blanched and finely ground
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 ml almond extract
- 1 g salt
Pear Filling
- 3 bosc pears, peeled, cored, and diced into 1cm cubes
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 5 ml vanilla bean paste
Finishing
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 15 ml whole milk
- 20 g sliced almonds
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 834 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbohydrates
- 82 g
- Fat
- 52 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 29 g
- Sodium
- 565 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 27 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 159 mg
- Potassium
- 297 mg
- Calcium
- 86 mg
- Iron
- 3.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 64 mg
- Phosphorus
- 196 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 380 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 5.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.69 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.65 mg
- Niacin
- 5.4 mg
- Folate
- 162 mcg
- Water
- 112 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine bread flour, all-purpose flour, water, milk, 50g sugar, salt, yeast, and 50g softened butter in a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for ten minutes until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
Shape the dough into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to relax the gluten and slow fermentation.
Place the 250g of cool butter between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to pound and roll the butter into an even 20-centimeter square.
Roll the chilled dough to a rectangle twice the length of the butter block. Encase the butter block completely within the dough and roll into a long rectangle. Perform one letter fold by folding the dough into thirds.
Wrap the dough and chill for thirty minutes. Repeat the rolling and letter folding process two more times, chilling for thirty minutes between each fold, completing a total of three folds.
Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, almond flour, egg, almond extract, and salt until light and fluffy to create the frangipane.
Melt 15g of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced Bosc pears, 30g sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste. Cook until the pears are tender and the liquid has reduced to a light syrup.
Transfer the cooked pears to a shallow dish and chill completely in the refrigerator to prevent the heat from melting the pastry butter during assembly.
Roll the fully chilled laminated dough into a large rectangle, approximately 30 by 40 centimeters, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Spread the frangipane evenly down the center third of the dough rectangle, leaving the outer thirds bare.
Spoon the completely cooled pear filling evenly over the frangipane layer.
Cut diagonal strips, approximately 2 centimeters wide, along the bare outer thirds of the dough. Fold these strips in an alternating, overlapping pattern over the filling to create a tight braid.
Cover the braided pastry loosely and let it proof at a warm room temperature until visibly puffed and light.
Brush the surface of the proofed pastry gently with the egg and milk mixture, then scatter sliced almonds evenly over the top.
Bake the pastry in a preheated oven at 200°C/390°F for thirty-five to forty minutes until puffed, crisp, and deeply golden brown.
Allow the baked pastry to cool on a wire rack for at least forty-five minutes before slicing to allow the frangipane to set and the crumb to stabilize.
Chef's Notes
- Keep your dough and butter at a similar consistency but cool temperature during lamination to prevent the butter from shattering or melting into the dough layers.
- Bosc pears are ideal for this application because they hold their shape under heat, whereas softer varieties like Bartlett might turn to mush inside the pastry.
- Ensuring the pear filling is completely cold before assembly is absolutely critical; any residual heat will instantly melt the laminated butter and destroy the flaky layers.
- When proofing the final shaped braid, maintain an ambient temperature below 27 degrees Celsius to prevent the butter from leaking out before baking.
- If your kitchen is exceptionally warm, you may need to chill the dough for 45 minutes instead of 30 between each lamination fold.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The pastry will lose crispness in the fridge.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze fully assembled but unbaked, or freeze baked slices tightly wrapped.
Reheating: Reheat slices in a 175°C/350°F oven for 5-8 minutes to restore crispness.
Troubleshooting
Butter pools on the baking tray during baking
Cause: The dough was under-proofed, or the ambient proofing temperature was too warm, causing the butter layers to melt before the dough structure set in the oven.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baking begins. The pastry will have a denser crumb but will still taste delicious.
Prevention: Ensure final proofing environment is below 27°C and wait until the dough is visibly airy and jiggles when the tray is gently shaken before baking.
Dough heavily shrinks or resists rolling
Cause: Gluten network is too tense from insufficient resting.
Fix: Cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for an additional 15 to 20 minutes before attempting to roll again.
Prevention: Ensure the dough rests a full thirty minutes between folds in the refrigerator.
Pear filling makes the bottom pastry layer soggy
Cause: Excess liquid in the pear filling or slicing the pastry while still hot.
Fix: Bake for an extra five minutes on the lowest rack to crisp the bottom.
Prevention: Cook the pears until the liquid turns into a thick syrup, and ensure the pastry rests for at least forty-five minutes after baking.
Cultural Context
Laminated pastries filled with frangipane and fruit draw heavily from classic French viennoiserie traditions. The elegant pairing of almond and pear, often referred to as Bourdaloue, originated in a Parisian bakery on Rue Bourdaloue in the 19th century. Braiding the dough not only provides a stunning visual presentation but also creates necessary steam vents that allow the fruit to cook perfectly without making the pastry soggy.
