Bake off at Home: How to Make Golden and Flaky French Palmiers

The latest season of The Great Australian Bake Off has arrived and it’s already serving up tasty treats for us to fawn over. We’ve covered some of the Bake Off contestant’s recipes, but this week we wanted to bring you one from Adam Miller for the classic French pastry, Palmiers.

Adam Miller’s recipe forms part of our series, Bake Off at Home, where we ask contestants of The Great Australian Bake Off for tips and recipes, much like we do with the MasterChef Australia contestants.

Bake Off at Home: Adam Miller’s Palmier pastry recipe

According to Miller, Palmiers are much easier to make at home than they look:

“These golden, flaky French delights might sound complicated, but they can be oh-so easy! Perfect for when you have to quickly whip up an afternoon tea treat. You can keep them classic like I have below, or use any filling you like to make them your own.” – Adam Miller

What you’ll need to make Palmier pastry:

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
• 85g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Directions for Adam Miller’s Palmier pastry recipe:

1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Place your puff pastry sheet/s on the bench, covered with a clean tea towel to thaw out.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the caster sugar and ground cinnamon. If you love cinnamon as much as me, add an extra teaspoonful or two 😉
4. Once your pasty has thawed out, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the pastry sheet.
5. To create the classic palmier shape, tightly roll the left edge of the pastry into the centre of the pastry sheet. Then roll the right edge to meet the at the centre.
6. Slice the rolled dough into 1cm slices and lay out on a lined baking tray, keeping a few centimetres between each palmier. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over the top of each palmier.
7. Bake for 12-15 mins, or until gloriously golden, flaky, and you can see the burnished edges of caramelised sugar.
8. Once out of the oven, carefully flip the palmiers over on the tray so the caramelised sugar doesn’t stick (thanks Poh for this tip!). Watch your fingers as the sugar will be piping hot.
9. Once cooled, enjoy the flaky caramelised goodness!

When you’re done with your pastry, you might want to check out Miller’s tips for making perfect cookie dough as well.

The Great Australian Bake Off Airs on Tuesdays at 8.30 pm on FOXTEL.