Last week I bought marzipan and gianduia (hazelnut nougat, as we call it here) to decorate some brownies. Apparently I bought too much and didn’t want to waste the leftovers. That is how these filled crescent rolls were born:

I used my stuten recipe, which is really an awesome basic recipe for sweet yeast rolls.  To make things a little bit more interesting, I used half all purpose and half kamut flour. I milled the kamuth flour myself from whole kamuth berries. If you can’t find whole kamut flour, you can use whole spelt flour or just all purpose flour. If you use only all purpose flour, make sure to use less soy milk (about 3 T).

Marzipan- Gianduia Crescent Rolls (makes 6)

For the rolls:
280 g  flour (2 1/3 cups) [I used 1/2 whole kamut flour and 1/2 all purpose flour]
1 package active dry yeast (7 g or 2 1/4 t)
30 g sugar (2 T)
205 ml vanilla or plain soy milk, room temperature (2/3 cup + 3 T)
25 g coconut oil, melted  (2 T) [vegetable oil of your choice works well, too]
1/4 t salt

For the filling:
150 g marzipan
50 g gianduia [use chocolate chips and ground hazelnuts as a substitute,or use this homemade chocolate hazelnut spread]
cornstarch for dusting

Mix soy milk and yeast and let sit until foamy (about ten minutes).
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Mix with a spoon and add milk mixture. Add oil as well. Knead the dough for 10 minutes to develop the gluten. It will be smoother than in the beginning, but still sticky. Don’t add too much additional flour. Let dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (You can place it in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel.)

Transfer your dough to a floured work surface and roll into an 25 x 25 cm rectangle (10 x 10 inch). Cut into four rectangles and cut those into triangles, to get eight triangles:

Roll out the marzipan into a 20 x 20 centimetre (8 x 8 inch) rectangle. Dust the counter with a bit of cornstarch to prevent sticking.  Cut into eight triangles as well. Place each marzipan triangle on top of a dough triangle:

Now crumble some gianduia on top. I am not really sure if gianduia is the correct name for the stuff I am talking about. It’s made from sugar, ground hazelnuts, cocaa mass, and cocoa butter and looks like this:

If you can’t find this, substitute some chocolate chips and ground hazelnuts, almond butter, or vegan chocolate spread, if you have.

Try to spread out the gianduia a bit and then roll the dough up, starting from the long side of the triangle. Shape into crescents by bending the edges a bit. Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) after half an hour. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely or serve warm, but not hot. Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee, chocolate, or tea.

This blog entry was submitted to YeastSpotting.