Family-friendly Breakfast Pastry Recipe from Great Plains Mara Nyika Camp, Kenya

HOME-MADE MARA NYIKA PASTRIES

Guests of all ages at Great Plains Mara Nyika Camp often rave about the breakfast pastries! They are surprised we can produce fresh and quality products in a middle of the Masai Mara bush setting. Making pastries can be fun and personalised - once the dough is made you can get a variety of products from it as you just need to substitute the filling. For example, the same procedure can be used to make chocolate croissants, almond croissants, blueberry Danish etc. So choose the fillings depending on your taste and enjoy making these delicious recipes with your little one at home! Chef Benjamin Ontita shares his recipe with The Parenting Daily:

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the dough

·950 gms White Flour

·150 gms Sugar

·20 gms Salt

·30 gms Yeast

·150 ml Milk

·150  ml Cooking Cream

·200 ml Water

·500 gms Unsalted Butter ( folding)

·1 Egg  - for egg wash

Ingredients for the Pastry Cream (Used in making of the Danish pastry)

·250ml milk

·75gms sugar

·1 egg

·1 egg yolk

·22.5 gms corn flour or custard powder

·Few drops of vanilla essence

 

METHOD

Preparation of Cream Pastry

1.     In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and corn flour; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs do not curdle or scorch on the bottom.

3.     When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Keep aside to cool

Procedure to prepare the dough

1.     Mix all ingredients together to make a soft dough

2.     Chill the dough for 2 hours then fold in the butter

3.     After folding in the butter roll the dough and make the first turn (fold the pastry in half). Then chill the dough for an hour

4.     After the hour roll the dough and make a second turn. Chill the dough for another hour. Then make a third final turn.

5.     Divide this dough into two.

How to make Croissants:

1.     Roll one-half of the dough and cut into triangles for croissants.

2.     Fill the triangles with any filling you would like (experiment with what you have from jams to Nutella!)

3.     Start rolling the croissant from the base of the triangle to the tip.

4.     Apply egg wash and keep aside to proof.

5.     Once croissants are proofed (almost double the size) bake at 170 degrees C for 10 minutes

How to make Danish pastry

1.     Roll the other half of the dough to requires size, then spread the homemade pastry cream evenly on the dough

2.     Sprinkle raisins evenly on the dough (or anything else you have in the cupboard – be experimental!)

3.     Roll the dough starting from the far end towards yourself

4.     Once at the end apply egg wash to seal the dough

5.     Cut the rolled dough into desired sizes, apply egg wash and keep aside to proof 

6.     Once are proofed (almost double the size) bake at 170 degrees C for 10 minutes

Enjoy! Great Plains look forward to making pastries for you and your family on your next safari!

 

Chef Benjamin Ontita is based at the stunning Great Plains Mara Nyika Camp, which is the ideal location for a luxurious family safari. This camp is super private and exclusive sleeping up to 14 guests sharing rooms. There are two new family suites, which are great for families (children must be age 6 and up). The camp is tucked beside a small stream n the western side of the 50,000 acre Naboisho Conservancy in Kena. Activities available include morning and night game drives, visiting a local Maasai Mara community and you can experience a hot air balloon ride across the Maasai Mara at an additional cost.