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Overhead view of baked pets de soeur rolls in a ceramic dish, golden tops glazed with bubbling maple cream and steam rising.

Pets de Soeur: Quebec's Baked Cinnamon Pastry Rolls

Small spiral pastries made from a flaky butter dough, filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, and baked in a maple cream that caramelizes around the edges.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Baking
Cuisine: French Inspired
Calories: 440

Ingredients
  

Pastry Dough
  • 300 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 150 g cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 120 ml ice water about 1/2 cup
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
Cinnamon Filling
  • 75 g unsalted butter softened
  • 180 g packed brown sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon
Maple Cream Topping
  • 120 ml heavy cream
  • 45 ml maple syrup about 3 tbsp
  • 1 pinch salt

Method
 

Make the Pastry Dough
  1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces left.
  2. Stir the vinegar into the ice water, then drizzle it over the flour mixture a tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just comes together. Don't overwork it or the pastry turns tough.
  3. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
Fill and Roll the Rolls
  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about 30 x 23 cm / 12 x 9 inch.
  2. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 cm border. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top, pressing gently so it sticks.
  3. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal.
  4. Slice the log into rounds about 1.5 cm / 0.6 inch thick. You'll get about 18 to 20 rolls.
Bake the Pets de Soeur
  1. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Arrange the rolls cut-side up in a 9x13-inch / 33x23 cm baking dish, leaving a little space between each one.
  2. Whisk the heavy cream, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt together, then pour evenly over the rolls.
  3. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the tops are golden and the cream has thickened into a bubbling glaze around the base. If the tops brown too fast before the cream sets, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
  4. Let the rolls sit in the dish for 5 minutes before serving, so the caramel firms up slightly.

Notes

  • Use cold butter and cold water, warm dough gets greasy and hard to roll out.
  • Don't skip the vinegar, it keeps the crust tender rather than tough.
  • Cut rolls with a sharp knife in one motion, sawing back and forth flattens the spiral.
  • Let rolls rest in the dish for 5 minutes before serving so the caramel sets.