Most people don’t know the difference between almond paste and marzipan. While they both are made of almonds, marzipan and almond paste are completely different creatures. Marzipan is smooth, sweet, and often dyed and molded into shapes. It’s also used to cover sweets much like fondant and is sometimes eaten as is. Almond paste, however, is coarser, less sweet, and used as an ingredient or filling for baked goods, especially breads or croissants.
One of my most favorite pastry fillings is by far almond paste! I love the flavor of sweet ground almonds made to perfection! I used to buy it at the grocery store however, I found out that I could easily make it myself for my recipes. The homemade result is a bit grainier but it is as tasty as the store bought kind. Since we’re not sacrificing the flavor, why not make it at home especially that it’s much cheaper!!!
You can find the basic dough recipe on the internet on various websites however, I like the end results with the fillings I’ve made especially when this bread is eaten warm. The almond paste gets softer just like a bear claw!!!
I will share a recipe for my almond paste in future posts.
P.S: I doubled this recipe and made various fillings.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup whole milk, a bit warmed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
- 10 ounces almond paste that I added 1/2 cup of chopped roasted almonds (one filling)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter mixed with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon (second filling)
Glaze:
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk (you can add more if like it thinner)
Instructions: Dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow the yeast to activate for about 10 minutes.
Add the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to the yeast and mix to combine.
With the dough hook on, mix in the flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.
Knead for 6 minutes in the machine or by hand, then place the dough in a large greased bowl, Cover and let rise in a warm area for at least one hour.
After one hour, punch the dough down and allow it to rise for an additional 10 minutes.
Filling and Braid:
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Cut into 2 equal sections.
Brush the top of each section with the melted butter.
Roll the almond paste into a log and place it in the middle of the dough. As in the picture.
Sprinkle some chopped roasted almonds over the almond paste.
Fold the top and bottom seems of the dough over the almond paste filling to prevent it from escaping.
Start braiding the dough a layer from one side over another layer from the other side. (see pic)
When the whole log is braided, cover it and let it rest for one hour in a warm place.
Once it has rested, brush the dough with some melted butter or you can use egg wash instead.
Place the dough in a preheated oven (375 F or 190 C) and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set it on the counter.
In the meantime, mix the glaze and drizzle it over the top of this baked goodness. You can serve it at room temperature or warm it slightly before serving this slice of heaven!!!
You can be creative with the filling and the way you want to roll the bread or braid it. Here, I rolled the almond paste and added the chopped toasted almonds then started braiding it!
For a change of filling, I used the cinnamon and brown sugar then rolled the dough and made a thin slit on top of each roll in order to expose the cinnamon mixture after it’s baked. I twisted the two rolls as shown in the pic.
Bon Appetit!