Snails for Breakfast

Sometimes a breakfast pastry is called for, but anyone who has tried pop tarts can tell you they taste like cardboard and lies. These are handy to keep around for any time of day. They freeze well, individually wrapped.

I adapted this recipe from one on thefreshloaf.com. Unlike most American pastries, these aren't overly sweet.

Sometimes I like to use white whole wheat flour instead of plain white flour. White whole wheat, made from albino wheat instead of the traditional red, still contains plenty of fiber essential nutrients. Red flour has tannins, which make the baked product taste a little bitter.

Main Dough:
2 1/2 t yeast
3/4 C warm milk
3 1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour (or try substituting 100% white whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 T sugar
3 eggs
6 T butter, softened

Egg Glaze:
1 egg, beaten
1 T milk

Cream Cheese Filling:
3/4 C cream cheese
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 T egg glaze

Raisin Filling:
1/4 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 - 1 C raisins (depending on how much you like them)

Sugar Glaze:
1/4 C water
1/4 C sugar
1/8 t vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, and sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs and mix until ingredients are combined. Mix in softened butter and knead until your dough is satiny and slightly sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. Punch the dough down, cover again, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, divide the dough in half and, while still cold, use each half to make 8 of each type of snail (or 16 of one if you don’t like the other type).

For the cream cheese snails, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approximately 8 by 12 inches. Slice the rectangle into 8 long strips. Stretch each strip as long and thin as you can, up to 24 inches. Twist each strip and then curl each up to make a snail shape. Place the snails on a well greased or parchment lined baking sheet and brush them gently with the egg glaze. Use your fingers to create a well in the center of the snail and then place one tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top. I like to pipe on the cream cheese filling for a neater look. You can also put a little jam underneath the cream cheese if you like things sweeter. Paint with egg glaze.

For the raisin snails, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approximately 8 by 10 inches. Coat the rectangle with the egg glaze and then spread the cinnamon, raisin, and sugar mixture over it. Roll the the dough up into a large log and then slice it into 8 pieces. Place each onto a parchment-lined or well greased baking sheet, squash them flat with your hand, and then paint with egg glaze.

Let the snails rise for an hour until puffy. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the snails for between 15 to 17 minutes, until they are golden brown. Paint immediately with sugar glaze. The sugar glaze is pretty thin, and you might prefer to make a different one with a little milk or lemon juice and powdered sugar.