Pastelito De Guayaba (cuban Guava Pastry)

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 2 (16 ounce) cans guava shells in syrup
• 4 ounces water, plus more as needed for moisture
• 12 ounces unsweetened butter or 12 ounces lard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten with
• 1 ounce water
• 1 ounce simple syrup (equal amount water and sugar, heated until sugar dissolves)

Recipe

• 1 in a blender or food processor, add all guava shells and half the syrup from one can; process until it reaches a smooth consistency; put puree in a medium saucepan and cook at low heat until reduced to a very thick consistency; let guava cool and then fill into pastry bag.
• 2 in a medium mixing bowl, add 4 ounces of water, 2 ounces of butter, and salt and mix until smooth; then add flour and work well until all ingredients are incorporated; continue to add water, a little at a time, working the dough until a medium-hard consistency is reached; form dough into a ball and let rest for 15 minutes; roll the dough into a flat square, about 1/2-inch thick.
• 3 place the remaining butter in the middle of square and pat down by hand to form a square about one-half the size of the dough square; fold over the 4 corners of the dough, 1 at a time, overlapping each other so that a sealed envelope is formed enclosing the butter; dust with flour and roll out to form a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick; now fold 1/3 of the rectangle dough towards the middle and the remaining 1/3 over those 2; let dough rest for 15 minutes; now repeat process above of rolling out and folding in 3, 2 more times, resting 15 minutes between each.
• 4 preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
• 5 roll out a final time into a rectangle and fold ¼ of the dough on each side to the middle and then fold 1 more time down the middle to form 4 flaps in the fold; let rest for 15 minutes; roll out to a rectangle to about 1/8-inch thick; with a knife, cut the flattened dough into a 4-inch wide strip by length of your baking sheet; lay strip on sheet pan lined with waxed paper and put filling lengthwise in the middle in continuous stream about 3/4-inch in diameter; spray edges of strips with water and cover with another 4-inch strip of dough the same size as bottom; press the edges together by hand very softly all the way around; brush top with egg wash and bake for 35 minutes.
• 6 remove from oven and brush with a simple syrup over the top and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. remove from oven and cut crosswise into 16 pieces.