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Ingredients

• ✓ almond cake and pastry filling
• water
• white sugar
• yeast
• all purpose flour
• milk
• egg
• white sugar
• salt
• butter
• butter
• white sugar
• egg
• almond
• white sugar

Instructions

1. 1 Combine water and ½ teaspoon sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved; stir in yeast and let stand until frothy and forms a creamy foam, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour, milk, 2 eggs, ⅓ cup sugar, and salt; beat with an electric mixer until well combined, about 3 minutes. Beat in remaining 1 ½ cups flour until dough is shiny and elastic, about 5 minutes. Scrape down bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. 2 Place 2 cups butter sticks, 1 inch apart, between 2 large pieces waxed paper; roll into a solid 12x12-inch square. Transfer butter in waxed paper to a baking sheet; freeze, 15 minutes.
3. 3 Turn out dough onto a floured work surface and sprinkle with flour; roll into an 18x18-inch square. Brush off excess flour. Peel 1 piece waxed paper from one side butter square; diagonally center on dough (butter-side down) so it looks like a diamond sitting on a square. Peel off remaining 1 piece waxed paper. Fold dough corners over butter square like an envelope, fully enclosing it; gently press seams to seal.
4. 4 Roll out dough, seam-side down, on a floured work surface into a 12x24-inch rectangle. Fold dough in half into a 12x12-inch square; fold in half again, into a 6x12-inch square. Chill about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 12x24-inch rectangle; repeat folding into a 12x12-inch square then into a 6x12-inch square, as above. Chill about 5 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding, as above, once more. Refrigerate dough 1 hour to overnight.
5. 5 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. 6 Combine almond filling, ½ cup softened butter, and ½ cup sugar in a bowl; set filling aside.
7. 7 Cut dough in half. Roll out 1 piece dough on a floured work surface into a 30x9-inch rectangle; cut into three 30x3-inch strips. Spread ½ filling down center of dough strips. Fold strips over filling lengthwise; pinch dough to enclose filling.
8. 8 Braid ropes together; arrange braid in a coil. Pinch end closed. Repeat with remaining 1 piece dough and remaining ½ filling.
9. 9 Transfer pastries onto the prepared baking sheets; wedge 3 hard-cooked eggs evenly between braids on each pastry. Brush pastries all over (including hard-cooked eggs) with remaining 1 beaten egg; sprinkle with sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar.
10. 10 Bake in the preheated oven until brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

By PJ Pickles