Bear Claw -- The Kind of Morning That Deserves Something Made by Hand

Five years.

January 1, 2023. River at first light, same spot, the Yellowstone frozen at the edges and moving dark in the center. I drove out before anyone else was awake, parked at the pullout, walked down to the bank. The temperature was four degrees and the air was still and the only sound was the water running under the ice shelf at the river's edge.

Five years. I stood there and let the number be itself rather than trying to explain it. Some things don't need explanation — they need to be inhabited for the exact amount of time they require, which in this case was about thirty minutes. I thought about the parking lot in Billings. I thought about the two years before that, the drinking years, what they cost and what they took. I thought about the five years since: the ranch, the work, the writing, the people at last night's table, the horses in the recovery facility, the rescue horses who now moved clean through fields I'd never see. I thought about what it means to stay alive for five years when you were trying to drink yourself smaller.

Then I went home and made coffee and eventually pancakes, blueberry again, the January version of the summer fruit. Mom was up. Dad came down at seven. Cole sent a text that said: Happy anniversary. He's the only person who knows the specific date. I told him last year without planning to. He treats it the way he treats most significant information: he noted it and remembered it and uses it correctly. That's the right way to handle someone else's private observance.

Five years. The next five will be different from the last five. I'm going to let them be whatever they are.

The blueberry pancakes are a ritual now — January fruit from the freezer, the same cast iron, the same quiet kitchen — but on mornings that carry real weight, I sometimes follow them with something that takes a little more out of me. Bear claws demand attention. You have to stay present with the dough, and on a morning when I’d spent thirty minutes at the river just trying to let five years be five years, that kind of deliberate, hand-work felt exactly right. My mom sat at the counter with her coffee and watched me shape them, and nobody needed to say anything.

Bear Claw

Prep Time: 40 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr (plus 2 hr chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
• 1/2 cup warm whole milk
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• For the almond filling:
• 1 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 large egg white
• For finishing:
• 1 large egg, beaten (egg wash)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp coarse or turbinado sugar
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Let sit 5–8 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbles with some pea-sized pieces remaining — do not fully incorporate. Add the yeast mixture, warm milk, and egg. Stir gently until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overwork it.
3. Chill the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. The cold butter is what creates the flaky layers, so don’t skip this step.
4. Make the almond filling. Beat together almond paste, powdered sugar, softened butter, almond extract, and egg white until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
5. Shape the bear claws. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 8 equal rectangles (roughly 4x6 inches each). Spoon about 2 tbsp of almond filling down the center length of each rectangle. Fold the long edges over the filling, pressing to seal. Turn each piece seam-side down. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut 4 shallow slits (about 1 inch deep) along one long edge to create the “claw” toes. Gently curve each piece into a slight crescent so the toes fan open.
6. Proof and finish. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush with egg wash. Scatter sliced almonds over the top and press lightly to adhere. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let rest uncovered at room temperature for 20 minutes while the oven heats fully.
7. Bake. Bake 18–22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until deep golden brown and the filling is set. The color should be genuine amber — pale bear claws are underbaked at the center.
8. Cool and serve. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Best eaten the day they’re made, still slightly warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 175mg