’Nduja fennel pastries

Method

• step 1

  To make the croissant dough, put the flours, sugar, salt and yeast into a large bowl and mix together so everything is evenly distributed. Make a well in the middle and pour in 265ml of lukewarm water and the room-temperature butter. Mix together to form a shaggy dough. Using either an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, or by hand, knead the dough until smooth and elastic – this will take 7-10 minutes using an electric mixer or about 15 minutes by hand. Put the dough in a bowl, cover, and set aside for 45 minutes-1 hour or until doubled in size. Tip out the dough onto a worksurface, press into a flat rectangle and put this onto a baking-paper-lined tray. Cover and freeze for 30-40 minutes or until firm.

• step 2

  Remove the dough from the freezer and, on a lightly floured worksurface, roll out into a rectangle roughly 45cm x 25cm. Take the butter from the freezer and use a coarse grater to grate the butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 2cm border along one of the short edges. Starting from the uncovered border, roll up the dough into a big sausage. Press the sausage shape a little flat, cover and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove and roll out as before but into a 40cm x 20cm rectangle. Roll up as before, pressing flat before wrapping and chilling overnight.

• step 3

  When ready to make the pastries, prepare the filling. Heat the butter in a small pan until bubbling. Cook the fennel seeds for 1-2 minutes before adding the ’nduja, breaking up with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste has formed. Scrape this mixture into a shallow container and chill until thickened enough to be spreadable.

• step 4

  Meanwhile, take out the croissant dough and leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling out into a 40cm x 40cm square. Trim the edges to make a sharp-edged square. Spread the ’nduja mixture all over the dough, trying to spread it into as even a layer as possible. Sprinkle over the cheese, holding back a little for the top of the pastries, and then finish by laying on the prosciutto. Roll up into a tight sausage shape. Use your sharpest serrated knife to cut into 10 slices and put cut-side up onto a couple of baking-paper-lined trays. Sprinkle the pastries with the reserved cheese. Cover the pastries and set aside for 1-2 hours or until they are risen and feel puffy when you press the sides.

• step 5

  When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Brush the sides of the risen pastries with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on their trays to room temperature before serving. These are best served on the day baked but the rolls can also be warmed through in the oven to re-crisp the pastry, and they will keep in an airtight container for up to two days.