Baked Puff Pastry (Shirini Papioni)

Baked puff pastry or as it’s known by the Persians Shirini Papioni (Sweet Bow) is a very popular sweet in Iran. I remember my mum had to make a special trip to the best pastry shop in town for this treat. In the afternoon the family would gather around the Samovar and mum pouring tea in little glasses one after the other. It was served with black tea and lots of cubed sugar but as a coffee drinker, it is equally tasty with a cup of coffee.

There is nothing better than these little baked puff pastries dusted with plenty of icing sugar and a cup of coffee in cold winter afternoon. It is so good!

Bought puff pastry dough would do the job perfectly with less mess. Always follow the instruction on the pack for the best result, the correct oven temperature and baking time ensures that puff pastry fully puffs and has the crunchy texture you are after.

Cut the puff pastry dough into strips with a very sharp knife or pastry tool and Twist the pastry strips from the centre in a way that the pastry looks like a bow. Place the prepared pastries on a baking sheet lined with baking/parchment paper.

 Make an egg wash (1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water) and brush it over the shaped dough to give the dough a deep golden colour. Bake for the recommended time but check the pastries during baking.

Dust hot baked puff pastry with plenty of icing sugar and if you like mix icing sugar with a little cardamom powder.