fig bars
- Number of Servings: 60
Ingredients
PASTRY:1 cup sifted all purpose flour1 teaspoon double acting baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt2 cups unsifted all-purpose whole wheat flour¼ pound (1 stick) butter½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed½ cup honey1 eggFILLING:1 ½ pounds of dried mission figs (although technically they are ‘dried’ they should be soft and moist; do not use them if they are dry and hard)¾ cup honey3 tablespoons water2 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons orange juice
Pastry:
Sift together into a bowl the white flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the whole wheat flour and stir to mix well. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat well. Beat in the honey and then the egg. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until completely mixed.
Turn out onto a large piece of wax paper, flatten slightly, and wrap airtight. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, of freeze for an hour or two, until the dough is firm enough to be rolled.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Or the filling may be made days ahead and refrigerated.
Filling:
Remove the tough stems from the figs. On a large board with a long, heavy chef’s knife, chop the figs very fine to make 3 cups of finely chopped figs. Or if you have some way of grinding them - in a food processor or a meat grinder – do so.
In a large heavy saucepan mix the figs with the honey, water, lemon juice and orange juice. Place over moderate heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 10 minutes, until very hot, but not boiling. Transfer to a dinner plate or a shallow tray to cool. When cool, refrigerate. The filling must be cold when it is used.
Assembly and baking:
Adjust a rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Cut two pieces of parchment paper the size of your largest cookie sheet.
Work with 1/3 of the dough at a time; reserve the remaining dough in the refrigerator. Work on a floured pastry cloth (a thin dish towel works just fine) with a floured rolling pin. If the dough is too hard to roll, place it on the cloth and pound it with the rolling pin until it softens slightly. Roll the dough into an even oblong 15 inches long, 6 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Use a ruler as a guide and trim the edges evenly. If necessary, excess cut-off dough may be used to fill in where needed. Work quickly before the dough becomes sticky.
With two teaspoons, one for picking up and one for pushing off, spoon 1/3 of the filling evenly down the middle of the dough, lengthwise, forming a band of filling 1 inch deep and 2 inches wide. Stop it ½ inch away from the narrow ends. Smooth it with the back of a spoon, but do not flatten it.
Use the pastry cloth (or dish towel) to help fold the two long sides of the pastry over the filling. They should overlap each other by ¼ to ½ inch. Press lightly to seal. Use the pastry cloth again to help turn the roll over so that it is now seam side down. Do not worry about any shallow surface cracks.
With both hands, one on each long side of the roll, quickly and carefully transfer the roll to a piece of the pre-cut parchment paper, placing the roll either lengthwise down the middle, or on an angle from one corner to the opposite corner. With your hands, perfect the shape of the roll so that it is smooth and even. Press down gently on the two narrow open ends to seal the dough.
If your cookie sheet is big enough (14 by 17 inches) to fit both rolls, by all means bake them together. Otherwise, prepare the second roll while the first is baking.
Slide a cookie sheet under the parchment paper and bake for approximately 15 minutes, reversing the position of the sheet during baking to insure even browning. When the roll is golden brown all over, slide the aluminum foil off the cookie sheet and let the roll stand for about 10 minutes, until it is firm enough to be removed from the foil. Transfer the roll to a rack to finish cooling.
When cool, refrigerate the rolls briefly - the strips are easier to cut when cold.
Use a very sharp knife, or a finely serrated knife to cut the roll crossways into approximately 20 slices. If necessary, wipe the blade occasionally with a damp cloth.
Makes approximately 60 servings.
Number of Servings: 60
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MARYRAM.
Sift together into a bowl the white flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the whole wheat flour and stir to mix well. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat well. Beat in the honey and then the egg. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until completely mixed.
Turn out onto a large piece of wax paper, flatten slightly, and wrap airtight. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, of freeze for an hour or two, until the dough is firm enough to be rolled.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Or the filling may be made days ahead and refrigerated.
Filling:
Remove the tough stems from the figs. On a large board with a long, heavy chef’s knife, chop the figs very fine to make 3 cups of finely chopped figs. Or if you have some way of grinding them - in a food processor or a meat grinder – do so.
In a large heavy saucepan mix the figs with the honey, water, lemon juice and orange juice. Place over moderate heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 10 minutes, until very hot, but not boiling. Transfer to a dinner plate or a shallow tray to cool. When cool, refrigerate. The filling must be cold when it is used.
Assembly and baking:
Adjust a rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Cut two pieces of parchment paper the size of your largest cookie sheet.
Work with 1/3 of the dough at a time; reserve the remaining dough in the refrigerator. Work on a floured pastry cloth (a thin dish towel works just fine) with a floured rolling pin. If the dough is too hard to roll, place it on the cloth and pound it with the rolling pin until it softens slightly. Roll the dough into an even oblong 15 inches long, 6 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Use a ruler as a guide and trim the edges evenly. If necessary, excess cut-off dough may be used to fill in where needed. Work quickly before the dough becomes sticky.
With two teaspoons, one for picking up and one for pushing off, spoon 1/3 of the filling evenly down the middle of the dough, lengthwise, forming a band of filling 1 inch deep and 2 inches wide. Stop it ½ inch away from the narrow ends. Smooth it with the back of a spoon, but do not flatten it.
Use the pastry cloth (or dish towel) to help fold the two long sides of the pastry over the filling. They should overlap each other by ¼ to ½ inch. Press lightly to seal. Use the pastry cloth again to help turn the roll over so that it is now seam side down. Do not worry about any shallow surface cracks.
With both hands, one on each long side of the roll, quickly and carefully transfer the roll to a piece of the pre-cut parchment paper, placing the roll either lengthwise down the middle, or on an angle from one corner to the opposite corner. With your hands, perfect the shape of the roll so that it is smooth and even. Press down gently on the two narrow open ends to seal the dough.
If your cookie sheet is big enough (14 by 17 inches) to fit both rolls, by all means bake them together. Otherwise, prepare the second roll while the first is baking.
Slide a cookie sheet under the parchment paper and bake for approximately 15 minutes, reversing the position of the sheet during baking to insure even browning. When the roll is golden brown all over, slide the aluminum foil off the cookie sheet and let the roll stand for about 10 minutes, until it is firm enough to be removed from the foil. Transfer the roll to a rack to finish cooling.
When cool, refrigerate the rolls briefly - the strips are easier to cut when cold.
Use a very sharp knife, or a finely serrated knife to cut the roll crossways into approximately 20 slices. If necessary, wipe the blade occasionally with a damp cloth.
Makes approximately 60 servings.
Number of Servings: 60
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MARYRAM.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 93.0
- Total Fat: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 7.7 mg
- Sodium: 41.5 mg
- Total Carbs: 20.2 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
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