This Saffron Clutch pastry Recipe makes small fried pockets with a soft saffron-yeast dough and a walnut, cinnamon and cardamom filling. Each piece is sealed in a pastry mould or crimped by hand, then dusted with icing sugar after it cools.
The translated name “clutch” describes the closed pocket shape. These stuffed clutch saffron pastries contain a dry nut filling, so the edges can seal firmly and stay closed in the frying oil.
Ingredients
For the saffron dough
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 tablespoon concentrated saffron infusion
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- Plain flour, as needed; begin with 2 cups
- Neutral oil, for deep frying
For the walnut filling
- 1/2 cup icing sugar and finely ground walnuts combined
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Icing sugar and finely ground pistachio, optional, for finishing
The old recipe gives cinnamon as two spoons. Two teaspoons provide a clear flavour without overwhelming the half-cup filling; tablespoons would make the mixture unusually bitter and dry.
Activate the yeast
Warm the milk until it feels comfortably lukewarm, about 38°C/100°F. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the measured sugar and the yeast, then leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.
A light foam should form. Milk that is hot enough to sting can damage the yeast; milk straight from the refrigerator slows it considerably.
Mix the saffron dough
Whisk the egg, remaining sugar, oil and saffron infusion in a broad bowl. Add the foamy milk mixture. If your infusion is not ready, our guide to brewing saffron gives a concentrated method.
Stir in 2 cups sifted flour. Add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a soft dough forms. It should be slightly tacky but release from the bowl; a stiff, dry dough is difficult to seal and fries hard.
Knead and let the dough rise
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 7 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours.
The dough should look noticeably fuller and hold a fingertip indentation for a moment. Follow that sign rather than forcing an exact doubling in a cool room.
Prepare the walnut filling
Mix the icing sugar, ground walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. Rub a spoonful between your fingers to break up sugar lumps.
The filling should remain dry and loose. Do not add milk, rosewater or oil: wet filling reaches the seam and prevents the pocket from sealing.
Shape the stuffed clutch pastries
Divide the risen dough into walnut-size pieces and keep them covered. Roll each piece into a thin round about 8 to 9 cm across.
Place 1 teaspoon filling in the centre. Fold the dough over to make a half-moon, press out trapped air and seal the edge in a turnover mould. Without a mould, press with your fingertips and crimp with a fork.
Keep filling away from the rim. If sugar or walnut touches the seam, brush it away before sealing.
Fry at steady heat
Pour 5 to 6 cm neutral oil into a deep, heavy pan and heat it to about 170°C/340°F. Fry two or three pastries at a time.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning carefully, until both sides are evenly golden and the sealed edges look cooked through. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack or kitchen paper.
“High oil” in the earlier method means deep oil, not maximum heat. Oil that is too hot browns the outside before the yeast dough cooks; cool oil makes the pastry greasy.
Finish after cooling
Let the pastries cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and add a small pinch of ground pistachio.
Sugar sprinkled onto hot pastries melts into a sticky coating, so patience gives a cleaner finish and keeps the crimped shape visible.
Common problems
- Seams open: keep filling off the edge, press out air and crimp firmly.
- Dough is hard: add flour gradually and stop while it remains soft.
- Pastries brown too fast: lower the oil toward 170°C and fry fewer pieces at once.
- Filling tastes harsh: measure cinnamon in teaspoons and grind the walnuts finely.
Storage
These pastries are best on the day they are fried. Store cooled pieces in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and dust again lightly before serving. The recipe contains wheat, milk, egg and walnuts.
