If you wish to make these with store-bought puff pastry, increase the sugar to one cup. Thaw and unfold the dough on the sugared work surface, then trim each piece into a ten-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Proceed with the recipe, sprinkling and rolling as directed. (Standard packages contain about one pound of dough, so the yield will be slightly greater than for our homemade version.)

　　

Ingredients

makes about 40

　　3/4 cup sugar

　　12 1/2 ounces Puff Pastry (page 359)

　　

Step 1

Sprinkle half of the sugar evenly on a clean work surface. Place dough on top, and sprinkle evenly with remaining sugar.

　　

Step 2

Gently roll out dough into a 17-by-13-inch rectangle, about 1/8inch thick, continually coating both sides with sugar and being careful not to press too hard around the edges. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the outermost edges.

　　

Step 3

With your fingers, roll up one long side as tightly as possible into a cylinder, being careful not to stretch out the dough and stopping when you reach the middle. Repeat on the opposite side until you have two tight cylinders that meet in the middle. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Using a sharp knife, cut dough crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place slices on ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, and flatten firmly with the palm of your hand. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 5

Bake for 5 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Using an offset spatula, flip the palmiers over; bake until pastry is golden brown and well caramelized, about 10 minutes more. Using the spatula, immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, shiny side up. Palmiers are best eaten the same day they are baked, but they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

　　

Palmier How-To

Step 6

A large piece of puff pastry dough is generously sprinkled with sugar, then trimmed and tightly rolled lengthwise from both ends.

　　

Step 7

Once both sides have been rolled up and meet in the middle, the dough is sliced crosswise and flattened firmly before baking.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart. © 2005 Clarkson Potter