Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Fig Twist

Andrew is back hosting Waiter, There's Something in My... and this month he selected dried fruit and nuts as the theme.

This has provided another perfect excuse to explore Dean Brettschneider's Global Baker and make his Fig and Aniseed Scone Twist. As I'm not a huge fan of aniseed, I've omitted them from the recipe - if you like them, just add 1 teaspoon of crushed aniseeds to the filling.


Fig Twist ©

Fig Twist
[Makes 2]

380 grams plain flour
30 grams caster sugar
25 grams baking powder
60 grams butter, cut into cubes, softened
190ml milk
1 egg
Filling
250 grams dried Turkish figs, chopped finely
50mls dark rum (I used Bundaberg Black)
50 grams melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Egg Wash
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Jam Glaze
4 tablespoons jam
2 tablespoon water

Make the filling:
You should make this the day before.
Place the figs, Rum, butter and cinnamon into a small bowl and stir well to combine. Cover and allow to sit overnight - the figs will absorb the rum.

The next day, if the mixture looks too chunky, then briefly pulse it in a food processor to get a spreadable consistency.

Make the Jam Glaze:
Make this while the twists are cooking.
Place the jam and water into a small pan and place over a medium heat - stir until the mixture comes to a boil and then remove from the heat.

Make the dough:
Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl.

Add the butter and work in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Lightly whisk the milk and egg and add to the flour mix, stirring until just combined. It's important that you avoid kneading the dough as this will cause it be tough.

Tip out onto a floured board divide into dough into two.

Roll out to form a 25cm/10inch square.

Brush the bottom edge (about 1cm/½ inch) with egg wash.

Spread the rest of the dough with half of the fig filling.

Roll the dough, swiss-roll style from the top edge towards the bottom edge.

Arrange the roll, so that the join is on one side an then cut through the center of the roll, leaving the top 2cm/1 inch uncut.

Turn these two strands so the cut side is facing you and then just twist one strand over the other - press the ends together firmly.

Fig Twist©

Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.

Place both twists on a baking paper lined tray - allow room for the twists to expand.

Brush each loaf liberally with egg wash and then let them rest for 15 minutes before cooking.

Cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 30-35 minutes until golden and cooked through - turn the twists halfway through baking to ensure even colouring.

When done, remove from the oven and brush over with the jam glaze - they can now be placed on a wire rack to cool.

Fig Twist ©

It does take a bit of effort not to eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven but it is a good idea to let to cool down a little. It looks very attractive as is but cutting it reveals its inner beauty

Fig Twist ©

Enjoy it with nice cup of tea or coffee.

25 comments

  1. These are so pretty. I don't like aniseeds either :)

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  2. AnonymousMay 28, 2008

    wow is that beautiful!! i've never seen anything like this before. i can just tell it's delicious!!!

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  3. AnonymousMay 28, 2008

    this looks amazing :) i will definitely be making these this summer with my grandmother`s figs! :) your faithful reader from Croatia

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  4. I've long now realised I'd more than happily eat every single thing you cook, will you adopt me?:)))

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  5. Haalo, That is a work of art! and fig is a family favorite here, I have to make this! Thank you

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  6. AnonymousMay 29, 2008

    is anyone else thinking christmas when they see these? must bookmark and remember when the snow falls!

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  7. Thanks Magpie!

    Thanks Aria - it's very tasty, it's good that the recipe makes two!

    Thanks Ana - I'm sure it will even taste better with your grandmother's figs!

    Come on over Heart - it will give me a good excuse to cook even more things!

    Thanks Marie - hope you enjoy them!

    Hi Agnes - I think it would great for christmas.

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  8. I've always said, that's all a cook needs, a good excuse, well, come to think of it, any excuse:))

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  9. hello lovely. sorry for not commenting in such a long time. have been busy doing other things... i love, love this recipe and wil have to try it out soon. i am sure it would be delicious with cheese (&anisseed)... or dried apple or pear... heaven! hope all is well *m

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  10. AnonymousMay 30, 2008

    Oh My God! I just found this on Tastespotting and it literally stopped me in my tracks! Absolutely beautiful! I can hardly wait to make this. If I had dried figs in my kitchen I'd tackle this right now. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful recipe with stunning photographs!

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  11. they look so amazing
    i would love to try :))

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  12. AnonymousMay 30, 2008

    Beautiful work, I envy your ability to do such fine pastry work :)

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  13. So true Heart!

    Thanks Myriam - it's always good to hear from you hopefully things will calm down for you soon

    Thanks Joy - it's my pleasure hope you get to make it soon!

    Thanks Zabaione!

    Thanks Ellie - it is surprisingly simple for something that looks complicated, best thing is you can pretend that it took ages to do ;)

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  14. AnonymousMay 30, 2008

    That looks incredible, Haalo! I agree without you about the aniseed... but I love figs!

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  15. Looks absolutely wonderful. I would have this wonderful Fig Twist for breakfast or for dessert.

    Sharona May

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  16. Hello Hallo!
    I just can't resist it! And can't wait to try it.

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  17. Looks very good indeed! I like the inclusion of dark rum! Going to bookmark this to try some time.

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  18. Thanks Emiglia!

    Thanks Sharona - I've enjoyed it for breakfast, great with a cup of coffee.

    Thanks Warda - hope you enjoy it!

    Thanks Y - you can certainly taste the influence of the rum.

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  19. I'm not a fan of aniseed either so I wouldn't use them either. A great entry, thanks for taking part in Waiter.

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  20. Wow!! That looks fantastic! I definitely want to make this too - after I stare longingly at the photo then read and reread how to achieve the twist.

    -Elizabeth

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  21. Thanks Andrew - it was a delicious theme!

    Thanks Elizabeth - the twist is pretty simple - only two strands and you just fold one on top of the other until you reach the end. It looks a lot more spectacular due to the rolling which gives you that layered look to the strands.

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  22. Thanks for posting this recipe- I tried it, and here are my (funny-looking) results!
    http://www.asweetpeace.com/2008/06/recipes-gone-wrong.html

    But it tasted SO GOOD, and I will certainly make it again! It wasn't too hard, especially since I put the figs through the processor right from the start. They absorbed the rum right away! I might use more flour next time.. Think I was a bit confused with the conversion from grams to cups.

    Thanks again for encouraging me to try something that I thought was out of my league!

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  23. Hi SP - I think you did a great job, converting to cups is very difficult as there really isn't a reliable quantifiable measurement to use. If you look at the conversion tables, 1 cup of flour can be anything from 110 grams to 160 grams - that is a big difference. From what you wrote it does appear that you just need to add a little more flour - the dough shouldn't be sticky. In the end, if it tastes good then it really doesn't matter what it looks like!

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  24. AnonymousJune 26, 2008

    I just tried this recipe a couple of days ago and it was absolutely delicious. One change I made to the recipe was that I used fig confit with cinnamon in place of normal figs; and the recipe still came out perfectly.
    A friend gave me the spread earlier, and she got it from a company called [DO NOT SPAM MY BLOG WITH YOUR COMPANY].

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  25. HOLY CANNOLI! This is such a beautiful dessert/snack/eat at all times idea! I really can not wait to try and enjoy these! Wonderful Blog!

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