Bear Claw
intro
Buttery, flaky laminated almond pastries shaped like bear claws, topped with crunchy sliced almonds and a light sugar glaze, a beloved American bakery classic.
Ingredients
Steps
In a small bowl, combine 120ml lukewarm (38C/100F) whole milk for dough, 7g active dry yeast, and 1 tsp of the granulated sugar; let rest 5 minutes until foamy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 320g all-purpose flour, remaining granulated sugar, and 1g salt. Add the foamy yeast mixture and 1 room-temperature large egg for dough, mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth. Form into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm (24C/75F) spot for 60 minutes until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, place 226g cold cubed lamination butter between two sheets of parchment paper, and pound with a rolling pin into a 15cm x 15cm (6x6 inch) even square, then chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down to release trapped air, roll it out on a floured surface to a 30cm x 30cm (12x12 inch) square. Place the cold butter square diagonally in the center of the dough, fold the dough corners over the butter to seal completely, then roll the sealed dough out to a 30cm x 60cm (12x24 inch) rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, roll it again to a 30cm x 60cm (12x24 inch) rectangle, fold into thirds, rotate 90 degrees, roll out again to the same 30cm x 60cm size, and fold into thirds once more. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for an additional 30 minutes to rest the gluten and keep the butter solid, ensuring distinct flaky layers form during baking.
While the dough chills, make the almond filling: in a medium bowl, mix 150g almond flour, 100g of the powdered sugar, 56g softened filling butter, and 5ml almond extract until a thick, smooth paste forms. Remove the chilled dough, roll it out to a 30cm x 40cm (12x16 inch) rectangle, cut it lengthwise into two equal 15cm x 40cm (6x16 inch) strips. Spread the almond filling evenly down the center of each strip, leaving a 2cm (3/4 inch) border on all long edges. Fold the long edges of the dough over the filling to meet in the center, pinching firmly to seal, then cut each sealed log into 4 equal 10cm (4 inch) pieces. Make 3 evenly spaced 2cm (3/4 inch) deep cuts along one sealed edge of each piece to create the 'claw' shape, then gently curve each piece to fan the cuts out slightly.
Cover the shaped pastries loosely with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for 30 minutes until puffy. Preheat your oven to 190C (375F) with a rack in the middle position. Once proofed, brush each pastry gently with the beaten egg wash (1 egg mixed with 15ml water), then sprinkle the tops evenly with 60g sliced almonds. Bake for 18-20 minutes until deep golden brown and flaky, with no raw dough visible at the cut claw edges. Transfer baked pastries to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
While the pastries cool, make the simple glaze: whisk the remaining 30g powdered sugar and 15ml whole milk for glaze until smooth and drizzleable. Drizzle the glaze lightly over the warm (not hot) bear claws, then let set for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Do not overstuff the pastries with almond filling, as excess filling will leak out during baking, burn on the baking sheet, and leave your pastries with dry, underfilled centers.
3.For extra nutty depth, toast the sliced almonds at 180C (350F) for 5 minutes before using, letting them cool fully, to amplify their natural flavor instead of using raw almonds.
OMG these bear claws are SO good! I made them for my kid’s soccer team potluck last weekend and every single one was gone before I even got a second one! The almond filling is perfectly sweet, not cloying at all, and the flaky layers came out exactly like the bakery down the street. Worth every minute of the prep time, trust me!
Okay, full transparency: I’ve never made laminated dough before so I was super intimidated by the medium difficulty rating, but the step-by-step instructions were so clear! My first batch came out a little lopsided (I definitely cut the “claw” parts too wide) but the taste was unreal. My roommate ate three in one sitting, oops.
Game. Changer. I’ve been dropping $5 a pop on bear claws at my local coffee shop for years and these taste identical for a fraction of the cost. The almond paste filling has that perfect marzipan kick I love, and the flake is chef’s kiss. 10/10 will be making these every other weekend for my brunch rotation.
Made these for our family cabin trip last week and they were the perfect hiking snack! I added a tiny bit of extra almond extract to the filling and sprinkled sliced almonds on top before baking, just like my grandma used to make. The only heads up is that the 3.5 hour cook time is no joke, so block off enough time if you’re making these for an event!
Took me forever to carve out the time to make these, but my daughters went crazy for them! They kept asking for “bear paw pastries” for breakfast all week after we made them. My only issue was that my butter kept oozing out when I was doing the folds — I think my kitchen was too warm, oops. Still tasted amazing though.
Brought these to my office potluck today and people were asking for the recipe before I even set the platter down! I did a light drizzle of vanilla glaze on top instead of the powdered sugar dusting and it was chef’s kiss. Will absolutely be adding these to my regular baking rotation for holidays too.
Haven’t made these yet but they look incredible! Quick question: has anyone had luck swapping in gluten free all purpose flour for the dough? My youngest has celiac and I’ve been searching for a solid bear claw recipe I can make for our Sunday brunches.
Made these for my weekly Sunday brunch yesterday and they were the star of the show! I paired them with mimosas and cold brew, and my guests said they were better than the ones we got at that fancy French bakery downtown last month. The only note I have is to make sure you let the dough chill long enough between folds — I rushed one fold and those pastries didn’t rise as much, still tasty though!
I live in a tiny dorm with a super janky oven and I still managed to pull these off! I didn’t have a pastry cutter so I used a butter knife to cut the claw slits, and I forgot the egg wash on one batch by accident, but they still came out flaky and delicious. My floor mates swarmed my room when they smelled them baking, 10/10.
These are SO rich and buttery, exactly what I want in a bear claw! I loved the little crunch from the sliced almonds on top, and the filling wasn’t too runny like some other recipes I’ve tried. I froze half the batch after baking and they reheated perfectly in the toaster oven for quick breakfasts during the work week. Total meal prep win!
Uh oh, I think I messed up the almond filling? It came out really grainy even after I mixed it for the full time the recipe said. I used store brand almond paste instead of the name brand, could that be why? The dough came out perfect though, so I’m determined to get it right next time!
I worked in a small neighborhood bakery in the 70s making bear claws every Saturday morning, and this recipe is absolutely spot on. The lamination technique is exactly how we used to do it, no weird shortcuts, and the almond filling ratio is perfect. So many modern recipes cut corners with way too much sugar or fake almond extract, but this one tastes just like the real, old-school bear claws we used to sell. Hats off to the chef!