Buttery dough, a smooth walnut filling, and small, neat crescents make for excellent homemade pastries to enjoy with coffee or tea. The dough is tender, pleasantly soft, and can also be filled with quark or poppy seed filling.
Preparation is not complicated. Simply knead the dough, let it rest for a while, and divide it into five portions. Roll each one into a circle, cut it into eight wedges, fill, and roll up. To stick to the original recipe, prepare a simple cooked filling from walnuts, sugar, and milk.
What You’ll Need
For the dough:
- 500 g semi-coarse flour,
- 250 g butter,
- a pinch of salt,
- 1 egg,
- a handful of sugar,
- 60 g yeast,
- 8 tablespoons lukewarm milk.
For the walnut filling:
- 150 g ground walnuts,
- 150 g sugar,
- 5 tablespoons milk.
For finishing:
- beaten egg for brushing.
The original recipe does not specify the amount of egg for brushing or the exact quantities for quark or poppy seed fillings. Adjust these to the number of crescents and the amount of filling you use.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the yeast starter: Use 8 tablespoons of lukewarm milk and 60 g of yeast to make the starter. The milk should be just lukewarm, not hot, to ensure the yeast works properly.
2. Making the dough: In a bowl, combine 500 g semi-coarse flour, 250 g butter, a pinch of salt, 1 egg, and a handful of sugar. Add the prepared yeast starter and mix all the ingredients together.
3. Kneading and resting: Knead the mixture thoroughly into a cohesive dough. Let the finished dough rest for a while so it will be easier to divide, roll out, and shape.
4. Preparing the walnut filling: In a small pot, combine 150 g ground walnuts, 150 g sugar, and 5 tablespoons milk. Briefly cook the mixture, then let it cool so the warm filling doesn’t heat the dough unnecessarily.
5. Dividing the dough: Divide the rested dough into 5 roughly equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle, trying to keep the thickness even.
6. Cutting the circles: Cut each rolled-out circle into 8 wedges, like slicing a pizza. You’ll get triangles with a wide outer edge and a narrow tip pointing to the center.
7. Filling and shaping: Place a suitable amount of walnut filling on the wider end of each triangle. You can also use quark or poppy seed filling if you prefer. Roll the dough up from the wide end toward the tip to form a crescent.
8. Brushing and baking: Brush the shaped crescents with beaten egg and bake. The original recipe does not specify the baking temperature or time, so adjust according to your oven and the size of your crescents.
How to Fill and Roll the Crescents Properly
Place the filling on the wider part of the triangle, but not all the way to the edge. This makes it easier to keep the filling inside when rolling. Don’t overfill, as the filling could leak out during shaping or baking.
When finishing, gently press the tip of the dough onto the crescent. Shape each piece to a similar size so they bake evenly.
What Fillings Can Be Used
The original recipe suggests walnut, quark, or poppy seed fillings. The specified quantities apply only to the walnut filling, which is made from ground walnuts, sugar, and milk.
If you choose quark or poppy seed filling, adjust the amount and consistency to suit the size of your crescents. The filling shouldn’t be too runny, so it stays inside the dough when rolled.
Final Tip
When rolling out the dough, always work with just one of the five portions at a time. This makes it easier to create even circles and equally sized triangles. Before brushing, check that the tip of each crescent is well pressed to the dough.
