I am a snacker and am so at any opportunity, be that flight, road trip, wedding, whatever. I’ll always make time to go to the shops and buy copious amounts of snacks to share. When I was at Uni, I got persuaded to go to a camping festival, so I left my friend in charge of the compulsory snack pilgrimage, only to find out all he bought were packets of fig rolls. Bizarre. He then got really high and shoved two whole packets of fig rolls into his mouth one after the other quickly. We were in stitches. I think he woke up the next day and realized his error. Whenever I make or eat fig rolls, I think of him.
MAKES ABOUT 20
Equipment
large flat baking tray
For the dough
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g caster sugar
1 egg
1 capful (approx. 5ml/1 tsp) of almond extract (optional)
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
30g ground almonds
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of Maldon or flaky salt
For the fig filling
300ml water
30g soft light brown sugar
200g dried figs, stems removed and chopped
1 cinnamon stick
demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Make the dough. In a large bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl, along with the almond extract, if using.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt together. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Knead for a minute or two until it’s homogeneous.
Pat the dough into a disc, wrap in clingfilm or baking paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the fig filling. In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, brown sugar, figs and cinnamon stick. Bring this to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, then simmer until the water has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Tip the fig mixture into a heatproof bowl and leave until it is cool to touch, then refrigerate until cold, approx. 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick before using. Blitz to form a paste using a food processor.
Line a kitchen tray and the baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle 38 x 18cm (15 x 7in). Cut the strip in half lengthways. Place one strip on a large sheet of baking paper – this is going to help you roll it into shape.
Spoon the fig filling into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle, then pipe half of the fig filling along the length, leaving about a 2cm (3/4in) border on one side which will help you to close it. Use a pastry brush to brush water along this border. Use the baking paper to help lift the other side of the pastry over the filling and onto the dampened edge, as you would do when making sausage rolls. Use a fork to press down and seal the edges together. Place this on the lined kitchen tray and transfer to the fridge, then repeat with the second strip of pastry and the rest of the fig filling. Refrigerate for 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4.
Use a sharp knife to cut across each long roll and portion the fig rolls – cutting each one to about 3–4cm (11/4–11/2in) in size works nicely. Transfer the fig rolls to the lined baking tray, then brush them with a little water before sprinkling over a little demerara sugar.
Bake for 15–18 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven, cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Cook more from this book
Fruit scones
Read the review
Buy the book: Baking for pleasure by Ranveet Gill
£26, Pavillion Books
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