Puff pastry pinwheels with jam

Method

1. Take the roll of rectangular puff pastry (230 g) out of the fridge 5 minutes before you use it: too cold and it cracks as you roll it, at room temperature it goes limp.
2. Preheat a conventional oven to 200°C (390°F), or a fan oven to 185°C (365°F), with the shelf in the middle. Puff pastry needs high heat to rise: below 180°C (350°F) it turns heavy.
3. Unroll the puff pastry on the sheet of baking paper it comes with, keeping the rectangle whole. Don't peel it off — it bakes on that same paper.
4. Spread the Minnelea jam of your choice (75 g, about 5 tablespoons) over the whole surface, working from the centre out to the edges. Leave a 1.5 cm margin along the long side where the roll will close.
5. Level the jam with the back of a spoon into an even 2–3 mm layer. Any thicker and it leaks out in the oven and burns.
6. Scatter the chopped almonds (30 g) evenly over the jam — spread out they cover far better than a heap in the middle. Press lightly with your palm so they stick.
7. Start rolling the pastry from the long side opposite the empty margin, forming a tight roll. Use the baking paper underneath to lift the pastry as you go — the more you lift, the better it wraps onto itself.
8. Seal the final edge (the one with the empty margin) by pressing gently with your fingers: it has to stick to the pastry underneath. Brush it with a little water if it needs help closing.
9. Move the roll to the freezer for 10 minutes: the cold firms it up and lets you cut clean slices without squashing the spiral. Optional, but it makes a visible difference.
10. Take the roll out. Using a sharp long-bladed knife, dampened to reduce drag, slice it 1.5 cm thick. You'll get around 24 pinwheels.
11. Arrange them on a tray lined with baking paper, 3 cm apart: they double in size in the oven. Sit them cut side up, not on their side — the spiral has to be visible from above.
12. Beat the egg yolk (18 g, 1 yolk) with the milk (15 ml, 1 tablespoon) in a small bowl. Brush the top of each pinwheel with a light hand — only the top, not the sides, or the yolk runs down and burns.
13. Scatter the cane sugar (10 g, 2 teaspoons) over the pinwheels: it caramelises in the oven and adds crunch.
14. Bake for 18 minutes, until evenly golden and puffed. Check at 15 minutes: if the tops are already dark but the bases aren't, cover with foil and carry on for another 3 minutes.
15. Take them out and let them cool for 10 minutes on the tray (the pastry is still soft while hot and breaks if you move it). Then transfer to a wire rack so the bases don't go soggy.