Pata de Elephante.
Just like the name implies, this pan dulce is shaped like a fan or an imprint of an elephant’s foot. You may also recognize it as a palmier, a French puff pastry cookie. The technique is basically the same. You use a puff pastry (laminated dough) and layer dough and butter. The many layers will give an air and flaky texture. Each layer has a buttery, crispy exterior, with a soft and tender interior. It can also be topped with sugar that gives it a caramelized crunch or you can dip it in chocolate. I did both.
If you have ever made a puff pastry, you know that the process can be time consuming. You have to have patience with it. This may not be something that want to do every day, unless it’s part of your career of course. But I recommend making it at least once to appreciate the steps it goes through, just so you can enjoy it.
Abanico/Pata de Elefante
Equipment
- 1 large cookie sheet
- parchment paper/ silicone liner
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 pastry cutter
- 1 knife
- 1 spatula
- 1 cooling rack
Ingredients
- 300 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 250 g cold salted butter, cubed. 1 cup + 2 TBS
- 2/3 cup ice cold water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 bag dark chocolate melting wafers for coating optional
Instructions
Rough puff pastry
- Cut butter into thin cubes and place in a small bowl. Add water in a liquid measuring cup and place both in the freezer for 15 minutes.Mix flour and sugar together until well incorporated. Remove butter and water from freezer. Add the salt to the water and stir. Add butter to the flour and cut in with your hands or a pastry cutter. You should get a chunky cornmeal like consistency. Add the ice-cold water in increments to the flour mixture. Combine as you go, but do not over knead. Add dough to a floured work surface and form into a square disk. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
Folding
- Step 1: Flour work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large square, about the size of a large plate. Fold in half, turn and fold in half again. Shape edges into a square. Wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Step 2: Roll into a long rectangular shape, about 20 inches long, 10 inches wide. Do a business letter fold. Fold top half to the center, then fold the bottom half onto the top half. Trim the rough sides off with a knife. Wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Step 3: Roll dough into a long rectangle again. Do another business letter fold. Trim rough edges. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Step 4: Spread a generous amount of sugar on top of dough. Roll dough to half the size of your rectangle, flip and add more sugar. Roll dough into a long rectangle again. Do a business letter fold. Wrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes.Step 5: Spread sugar on top of dough and roll out into a long rectangle. Fold the dough in half to find the center, unfold to find the crease. Starting at the bottom, fold dough twice until you reach close to the center. Repeat with the top half. Make sure you leave a small gap between the two folds. Add more sugar, wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut dough with a sharp knife, about a 1/4 inch in thickness. Place them on parchment lined baking sheet. Open up the pastry at the center. It needs a small gap to expand. Cut the top tips with a knife. Bake for 12 minutes. Carefully flip them over and bake another 10-12 minutes. They should be golden brown. Immediately place them on a cooling rack. They need to cool down before you add chocolate.
Video
Notes
- I’m using a rough puff pastry method.
- Make sure butter and water are ice cold.
- You’ll have to work fast between steps. The more you handle the dough, the more the butter will melt.
- Make sure to let the dough cool all the way through in each step.
- I used chocolate melting wafers to dip them in.
