The recipe featured in this post is my own version and does not in any way reflect the official BEAVERTAILS® recipe
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I couldn’t let another winter go by without dedicating a post to our beloved national treasure: the beaver tail.
That’s right.
Now I’ll admit that the process nearly killed me. I don’t think I’ve ever spent as much time nor created as many versions of a food item in my life (a fine baker and pastry maker I am not). But in the end, I ended up with something not entirely dissimilar in taste and appearance to the Canadian winter classic! (or so I like to think).
As my Canadian readers well know, Ottawa is home to the largest skating rink in the world. The Rideau Canal Skateway spans a distance of 7.9 kilometres (4.8 miles) through the downtown core of the Canadian Capital. Along the way, skaters can enjoy rest stops,ice sidefires, and plenty of treats including – you guessed it – one of Canada’s best known culinary icons, BEAVERTAILS® pastries. As tradition goes (at least in this house), if you skate the Canal end-to-end, you’ve earned yourself a beaver tail!
So what are BEAVERTAILS® pastries? According to its makers, BEAVERTAILS® pastries are whole wheat pastries that are stretched by hand to resemble the tail of one of our best known symbols: the beaver.
The Rideau Canal Skateway with views of Parliament Hill in the background
our very own Who Village
Source: National Capital Commission
The pastries are then fried in oil (or, as described by BEAVERTAILS®: “float cooked on high quality canola oil”) and then served pipping hot. The pastry is coated with butter and a mixture of cinnamon-sugar and then topped with any number of flavours (including: chocolate/hazelnut, lemon, maple, caramel,…). Yup, best to earna beaver tail.
The Classic Beavertail – Source: National Capital Commission
One final word before I get to the recipe.
BEAVERTAILS® pastries do not need fixing. They are positively delicious in their own right and I’ve certainly enjoyed my share of bites. The changes I’ve made are typical of the type of thing I do here at Inspired Edibles – less sugar and a preference for the use of whole, minimally refined ingredients. I’ve also oven baked the pastry rather than frying it.
So, after many iterations (and someexasperation), I present to you,without further ado, my final version of a beaver tail.
Homemade Baked Beaver Tails(A Canadian Classic gets a little makeover)
For the Dough:
- 3/4 cup milk variety of choice
- 3 Tbsp coconut palm sugar, (substitute any coarse grain sugar – brown sugar works just fine)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (substitute olive oil)
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (something like this)
- 2 tsp bread machine yeast
For the Coating:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp palm sugar (substitute any coarse grain sugar – brown sugar works just fine)
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
Topping Possibilities:
- 75% cocoa chocolate, melted
- chopped nuts/seeds
- fresh squeezed lemon
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NOTES:
I tried many, many, different versions of flour (kamut, quinoa, spelt, wheat) and baking methods for this recipe and ultimately decided to go with a whole wheat flour and the use of a bread machine.
If you prefer to make the pastry the long way, there are other versions available on-line that will take you through that process. I was more interested in the ingredients.
You could also simplify this recipe by using a whole grain tortilla or sliced pita bread (which I used many times when the boys were young) as your base. This time I wanted to create something thatresembleda beaver tail a little bit more.
DIRECTIONS:
Makes 8 pastries.
Place all ingredients in bread maker in the order listed and set to dough cycle.
NB: You can make adjustments to the dough while it’s still in the breadmaker if needed; if it looks too wet after the first 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour in small increments (maybe 1 tsp at a time) until a smoother more uniform ball forms. An overly wet dough will yield a dense mass and be tough. Every machine is a bit different (as are the ingredients/flours used by makers) so sometimes these little adjustments are needed and can make a big difference to the quality and outcome of the dough.
Once dough cycle is completed, remove dough from machine and knead by hand for one or two minutes, shaping the dough into a ball. Place dough ball on a lightly floured surface and cover with a cloth for 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 F.
Divide dough into 8 balls.Roll (or should I say hand stretch) each ball into the shape of a beaver tail! (a semi-oval shape) about 1/4″ thick or slightly thinner as they will rise in the oven.
Place pastries on a foil lined baking sheet that has been gently sprayed with olive oil.
Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small pinch bowl.
Brush each pastry with some olive oil followed by a dusting of cinnamon-sugar.
Place pastries in oven (I did 4 at a time) and bake for approximately 16-20 minutes until a crispy and light pastry arises. You will not believe how light these are!
Remove pastries from oven and enjoy as is or with some toppings…
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TOPPINGS:
The toppings below are illustrated on a prior dough version – here is my egg-less, yeast-less spelt version (chewy, heavy/dense and frankly not-so great tasting), the toppings however were lovely:
The dark chocolate-hazelnut topping (mmm…):
And, my very favourite topping – freshly squeezed lemon juice… or, as it is called here, the Killaloe Sunrise:
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I hope you’ve had some fun learning about one of our national treasures (we take our beaver tails seriously ;o)).
Perhaps you might even give them a try sometime or, better yet, come up to Ottawa for a skate (and a real BEAVERTAILS® pastry)! We’ll look forward to seeing you.
The Rideau Canal Skateway – Source: Government of Canada
Our first winter on the Ottawa Canal many years ago…
(the only time I ever stood a whisker of a chance of keeping up with my boys!)
