matcha & coconut tebirkes
matcha puff pastry, coconut frangipane filling & topped with black sesame seeds
i am obsessed with laminating dough at the moment, it’s so meditative and soothing
this matcha dough is barely sweet, almost savoury by itself and is balanced nicely by the sweet coconut frangipane
makes five
ingredients
matcha puff pastry
96g plain flour, plus more for dusting
6g matcha
4g caster sugar
2.5g salt
20g butter, softened
1/4 tsp white vinegar
40g water
76g fridge cold butter for the butter block
coconut filling
35g caster sugar
35g butter, softened
20g desiccated coconut
15g almond meal
generous pinch salt
assembly
2 tbsp soy milk (for brushing to get the sesame seeds to stick!)
about 3 tbsp black sesame seeds
method
matcha puff pastry
sift together the flour (96g), matcha (6g), sugar (4g), and salt (2.5g) into a large bowl
add the softened butter (20g) and rub in with your fingertips until completely worked into the flour
make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the water (80g) and vinegar (0.25 tsp) while whisking together with a fork to combine a rough dough
gently stir together until just combined
turn out onto a well floured benchtop and shape into a rough rectangle
wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least two hours
right before your dough is ready to be played with, prepare the butter block by cutting the butter (76g) into 5mm thick slabs and arranging in a rectangle (mine was about 10cm by 15cm) on a sheet of baking paper (see photos from croissant-making here)
fold the baking paper around the butter block and alternate rolling out and hammering with the rolling pin as required to form the butter into a solid rectangle without gaps or seams
the butter should be pliable, that is able to be bent without snapping, but not greasy (place the butter in the fridge or on the benchtop for a few minutes as required to get to the right consistency)
once rested, place the dough onto a well floured benchtop and roll out to a rectangle that is the same height and double the width of your butter block
place the butter block (at the right consistency! this is important or your lamination will go wrong from the start) in the middle and enclose in dough
roll out to a 6mm thick rectangle and perform your first book fold
flour the benchtop, dough and rolling pin as often as required
wrap in plastic wrap and return to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes
roll out into a rectangle (the opposite direction to last fold) and complete another book fold
if the dough is springing back when you try and roll it out it needs more time to rest! cover and fridge for at least 15 minutes then come back and try again
wrap, fridge, and repeat for a total of three book folds
once the final fold has been completed and the dough has rested, roll out to a 6mm thick rectangle about 30cm by 20cm
wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the coconut filling
coconut filling
add the butter (35g) and sugar (35g) to a small bowl and beat together until light and fluffy
add the desiccated coconut (20g), almond meal (15g), and salt (generous pinch) and mix to combine
assembly
preheat the oven to 200°C
trim any skew edges off the puff pastry and arrange with the long edge facing you
spoon the coconut filling into the centre and spread over the middle half of the pastry, leaving the top and bottom quarters bare
fold the top and bottom quarters over the filling to form a neat little package
flip over so the pastry is seam side down
brush with milk and sprinkle the top side generously with black sesame seeds
cut into five tebirkes and arrange on a lined baking sheet
freeze for 10 minutes to rapidly chill the assembled pastries
transfer directly to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C and bake for 10 more minutes until completely cooked through and golden brown at the edges
let cool for 10 minutes
