Quick-Fold Strawberry & Almond Slab Chausson
Growing up in Paris, I practically lived on chaussons aux pommes—those perfect, shatteringly crisp apple turnovers. But here’s the truth: making individual pastries on a Sunday morning is a hassle. We’re not suffering for brunch.
Enter the slab chausson. By treating it like a giant tart folded over itself, we maximize the crust-to-fruit ratio without the fussy shaping. I swapped the traditional apple for Bay Area spring strawberries, tossing them with toasted sugar and a heavy dusting of almond flour. The almond acts as a sponge, catching every drop of fruit juice so the bottom stays crisp, never soggy.
We use a blitz puff pastry here. Just two quick folds—what the French call tourage—give you café-level lamination in a fraction of the time. Butter is not a garnish; use the good, high-fat cultured stuff, and keep it cold.
Want to make it your own? Swap the strawberries for stone fruit, or shave some bittersweet chocolate over the almonds before baking.
Cami’s shortcut note: You can make the blitz dough entirely the night before. The fridge is your friend. Let time do the work.
Don’t skip this: Bake until the top is deeply bronzed and juices just start to bubble at the edges. Pale pastry is tight like a bad alibi.
Featured Recipe
Quick-Fold Strawberry & Almond Slab Chausson
A giant, shatteringly crisp French turnover that skips the fussy individual shaping. We use a blitz puff pastry—just two quick folds—and pack it with fresh spring strawberries and a dusting of almond flour to catch the juices. It’s café-level lamination for a lazy Sunday, cut into massive, flaky squares.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 cup cultured unsalted butter, frozen(Must be rock hard; 2 sticks)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(Plus extra for dusting)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1/4 cup toasted sugar (or regular granulated)(Toasted adds a subtle caramel note)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste(Or pure vanilla extract)
- 1/3 cup almond flour(Crucial for a crisp bottom crust)
- 1 large egg(Beaten, for egg wash)
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar(For that bakery-style crunch)
- splash water(for egg wash)
Instructions
- 1
Using a box grater, grate 1 cup cultured unsalted butter, frozen directly into a large bowl with 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp kosher salt. Toss gently to coat the butter shards in flour. Drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water and use your hands to quickly squeeze the mixture into a shaggy, cohesive dough. Don't overwork it; we don't want a crumb tight like a bad alibi.
5 min
Tip: Grating the butter skips the pastry blender entirely and ensures perfectly uniform flakes.
- 2
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough 10x15-inch rectangle. We are going to do two quick letter folds: fold it into thirds like a business letter, rotate it 90 degrees, roll it out slightly, and fold it into thirds again. This quick-folding technique builds massive flaky layers without an all-day lamination project.
5 min
Tip: Use a bench scraper to help lift the dough if it sticks.
- 3
Wrap the folded dough tightly in plastic and throw it in the freezer to relax the gluten and deeply chill the butter. Preheat your oven to 400°F. The fridge (or freezer) is your friend here; warm butter equals sad, flat pastry.
20 min
Tip: If your kitchen is very hot, leave it in for 25 minutes.
- 4
While the dough chills, place 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered in a bowl and toss them with 1/4 cup toasted sugar (or regular granulated) and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste. Let them sit so the sugar pulls out the excess water.
5 min
Tip: Macerating early concentrates the strawberry flavor and prevents a soggy bake.
- 5
Drain the liquid from the strawberries (save that syrup for a cocktail later). In a small bowl, lightly whisk 1 large egg with a splash of water to make an egg wash.
5 min
Tip: Fruit should look glossy but not be sitting in a puddle.
- 6
Remove the dough from the freezer and cut it directly in half. Roll each half into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Transfer the bottom rectangle to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Scatter 1/3 cup almond flour evenly over the dough, leaving a clean 1-inch border.
5 min
Tip: The almond flour is our sponge—it absorbs any rogue fruit juice so the bottom crust stays shatteringly crisp.
- 7
Pile the drained strawberries over the almond flour. Drape the second dough sheet on top. Crimp the edges fiercely with a fork to seal the chausson (turnover). Brush the entire surface with the egg wash, sprinkle aggressively with 2 tbsp turbinado sugar, and score three large vents in the top so steam can escape.
5 min
Tip: Don't skip the steam vents, or your pastry will burst at the seams.
- 8
Bake until deeply bronzed and puffed, about 35-40 minutes. You want to see the pastry layers fully separated and the strawberry juices bubbling thick through the vents. Let time do the work. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing into giant squares. We're not suffering for brunch.
40 min
Tip: If the edges brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil at the 25-minute mark.
Chef's Notes
Cami's shortcut note: A traditional chausson aux pommes or fraises requires rolling and shaping individual half-moons. Doing this as a slab maximizes the crust-to-crumb ratio and gets you back to your coffee faster. Butter is not a garnish here—use a high-fat European-style butter for the best lamination.
Camille Roux
Café-level bakes, weeknight methods, zero compromise.
Camille “Cami” Roux was born in Paris with flour in her hair and a healthy skepticism of culinary dogma. She grew up around neighborhood boulangeries that treated crust and crumb like religion—but what stuck with her wasn’t rigid tradition. It was the quiet precision: good butter that actually tastes like milk, patient fermentation that builds flavor for free, and desserts that know when to stop before they get cloying. After moving to the Bay Area, Cami trained in a bread-and-pastry scene obsessed with texture, naturally leavened doughs, and seasonal fruit—Tartine energy, minus the martyrdom. She became known for loaves that sing when they cool, jammy tarts with clean edges, and “how is this so good?” weeknight pastries made with a few smart shortcuts. Her motto is high impact, low fuss: splurge where it counts (butter, salt, time), streamline the rest (sheet pans, one bowl, cold-proofing). If it doesn’t improve flavor or structure, it doesn’t earn a step.