Chausson à l’abricot safrané et au yaourt

( Apricot, saffron and yoghurt pockets )

One of my all-time favourites, this chausson is a variation on the traditional pompe bread recipe. It’s filled with sweet poached apricots, balanced with just the right amount of acidity from the yoghurt and a subtle floral earthiness from the saffron. This recipe is a perfect example of how complex flavours, when used correctly, can produce wholesome simplicity.

Makes 15

200 ml (7 fl oz) full-cream milk

2 egg yolks

250 g (9 oz) Greek-style yoghurt

200 g (7 oz) flaked almonds

Poolish

1 g (¹/₃₂ oz) dried yeast

100 ml (3½ fl oz) cold water (20°C/70°F)

100 g (3½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (‘0’/T55 or ‘1’/T65)

Poached apricots

1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

2 vanilla beans, halved lengthways

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) fresh apricots, halved and pitted

½ teaspoon saffron threads

Dough

300 g (10½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (‘0’/T55 or ‘1’/T65)

100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

120 ml (4¼ fl oz) virgin olive oil

6 g (¹/₅ oz) fine salt

8 g (¼ oz) dried yeast

L To make the poolish, follow the method. Once prepared, cover and set aside at room temperature for 3 hours, or until the poolish triples in volume.

L Meanwhile, to make the poached apricots, put the sugar, halved vanilla beans and 2 litres (70 fl oz) water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the apricots and saffron, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside until cool. Refrigerate overnight. Strain the apricots and vanilla beans over a bowl, reserving the syrup for another use (it can be refrigerated for months and can be used for a variety of things, from cordial to cocktails or even as a syrup for pound cakes). Pat the apricots dry on paper towel and place them in a small food processor. Using a small knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the food processor and discard the vanilla beans. Pulse the apricot mixture one or two times to break the apricots up a little. Alternatively, mash them a little with a fork.

L To make the dough, put the poolish and all the ingredients for the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and knead for 2–3 minutes, or until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. To check whether the dough is ready, use the ‘windowpane’ test. Remove the dough hook and dust a little flour over the dough, then cover the bowl with a cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

L Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until about 1 cm (½ in) thick. Using a 20 cm (8 in) round cutter, cut out 15 circles from the dough, carefully place on the lined tray and freeze for 1 hour. At this stage, the dough will be soft and the dough circles will lose their shape easily, but chilling them will help fix this, so don’t worry too much about how regular the circles are.

L To make an egg wash, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together in a small bowl. Remove the dough circles from the freezer and roll them again until 3 mm (¹/₈ in) thick, then cut the excess dough with the cutter. At this stage they should be firm. Brush the egg wash around the outside edges of each circle — use just enough so that the dough is tacky enough to stick together when folded. Reserve the remaining egg wash for later.

L Spoon 1½ tablespoons of apricots into the middle of each round, then cover the apricots with 2 teaspoons yoghurt. Fold one side of the dough over the filling to form a semicircle, then use your fingertips to press around the edge to seal. Use the cutter to trim and neaten any excess dough, then place on lined baking tray, cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1½ hours, or until the dough has risen.

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) at least 30 minutes before baking. Brush the chausson with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Poke a small hole in each one with the tip of a knife, to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray. Serve warm or at room temperature.