Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

If you're using a large 12 to 14 ounce wheel of brie, slice it in halve horizontally and place the bottom half in the center of the puff pastry. If you're using two 8-ounce wheels, you don't need to halve either one of them. Simply place one of the wheels in the center of the puff pastry.

Top the brie with 1 cup (minus 2 tablespoons) of cranberry sauce*, orange zest, and smooth it over the top of the brie leaving a bare 1/2-margin around the perimeter. Reserve the 2 tablespoons for serving.

Top with the remaining brie half, or the other intact wheel if using two 8-ounce wheels; set aside.

Whisk together the egg and water.

Fold one corner of the puff pastry up into the middle and over the top of the center of the brie.

Brush the egg wash over the folded corner.

Then fold up the next corner and edge, brushing with egg wash.  Repeat until all the puff pastry has been folded over the brie. Tips - It doesn't have to be perfect. You don't have to create hospital corners. You do want to be mindful that the puff pastry is tightly sealed around the brie so when it starts to melt in the oven, the puff pastry will contain it so the cheese doesn't leak out. The egg wash serves to help both enhance the browning of the puff pastry so it develops a nice golden brown color, and also helps the puff pastry adhere to itself a bit better.

Optionally, if you want to take the second sheet of puff pastry (make sure its thawed) and make cut out leaf shapes and place them on top of the brie, brushing them with egg wash so they adhere and turn golden, this is an optional creative touch. See how I did this with extra pie crust in my recent Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to get an idea.

Take your bundle of puff pastry and brie and set it on a plate or something it can rest on in your freezer and freeze it for 30 minutes. Line with parchment if you think it could stick. Do not skip this step of freezing because freezing helps chill the dough which will help it to bake up flakier, lighter, and crisper in the oven so do not omit this.

After about 20 minutes of freezing, preheat your oven to 425F.

Place the brie on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat, and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden browned.

Remove it from the oven, allow it to rest for about 5 minutes, and before serving top with the reserved 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce. Serve immediately. Baked brie is best served hot and fresh and this is not a recipe where the leftovers keep particularly well.