Napoleons are made of layers of flaky puff pastry filled with rich pastry cream, cut into small rectangles, and topped with chocolate and vanilla icings. It may look complicated, but its two main componentspuff pastry and pastry creamare actually quite basic.
But there is one major difference with the way the puff pastry is treated for Napoleons as opposed to other pastries: Its weighted down as it bakes. This prevents the pastry from rising too muchyou want the layers that make up each slice to be flat and dense, not puffy and domed. The best way to do this is to place a second sheet pan over the pastry and then put a large ovenproof baking dish on top. This keeps it condensed, providing you with flat sheets to use when building your impressive, three-layer sweet.
PREPARING THE PASTRY
GLAZING AND ASSEMBLING
Find this and other great recipes in The Americas Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.
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1. Preheat the skillet: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of a 450-degree oven until it is hot, about 10 minutes. If you dont preheat the pan, the crust of the bread will be soft and pale rather than brown and crunchy.
2. Toast the cornmeal: Toast the cornmeal in the oven (while the skillet is heating up) until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Toasting the cornmeal before making the batter deepens its flavor dramatically.
3. Soften the toasted cornmeal with buttermilk: Mix the warm toasted cornmeal with the buttermilk and let it sit for a few minutes to soften before making the batter. If you skip this step, the cornmeal will retain its hard, crunchy texture in the finished bread.
4. Use oil and butter: Add the oil to the hot skillet and continue to heat in the oven until just smoking. When the oil is hot, carefully swirl in the butter to melt. Most of this hot fat is added to the batter, but some of it is left in the pan to ensure a crisp crust and flawless release of the bread after its baked. The combination of oil and butter is great because the oil can get very hot without burning, while the butter adds good flavor.
5. Add the batter while the skillet is hot: The hot skillet is what gives this bread its crunchy crust, so dont let it cool off before adding the batter.
6. Cool the bread in the skillet, then flip it out: When removing the cornbread from the oven, use good potholders because the skillet is heavy and the handle will be very hot. Let the bread cool in the skillet for 5 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack. If you try to flip the bread out before cooling, it will crumble apart.
1. Layer the bread and filling in the baking dish and top with the cheese.
2. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layers.
3. Cover the surface flush with plastic wrap and place a large zipper-lock bag filled with 2 pounds of sugar on top of the wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
1. After rolling out the dough into a 12-inch circle, mound the ricotta cheese over half the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the edge.
2. Brush the bottom edge of the dough with egg wash.
3. Gently fold the dough over the filling, leaving a -inch border of the bottom crust uncovered.
4. Lightly press the dough to be flush to the edge of the cheese at the seam, then press the dough edges firmly to seal them together.
5. Working from one end of the seam to the other, gently pull the bottom layer of dough over the tip of an index finger and press to seal.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut 5 slits, about 2 inches long, diagonally across the top of each calzone. Make sure to cut through only the top layer of dough and not completely through the calzone.
1. After mixing the dough and spreading most of it inside a pan lined with a greased foil sling, top it with a piece of greased parchment paper and smooth the crust into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove the parchment before parbaking the crust. Meanwhile, roll out the remaining dough (used for the top crust) between 2 sheets of greased parchment paper into an 8-inch square and stash it in the freezer until the last step.
2. Spread the fig filling into an even layer over the baked crust.
3. Remove the top crust from the freezer, unwrap, and lay on top of the filling. Press lightly on the dough to adhere. Finish baking.
Create a spongea small mixture of flour, water, and yeastthat lends the bread its mildly sour and nutty flavors.
The key to using our sponge is to let it rise for about 2 hours then wait for it to fall (about 4 hours) before using. 
The fall indicates that the yeast is active and ready to go. Once the sponge has fallen, it can be held for up to 24 hours at room temperature before using.
Combine the flour, yeast, and water in a stand mixer until the dough comes together, then let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl after several minutes of kneading, it is too wet and you need to add more flour. With the mixer running, add the flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing 30 to 60 seconds between additions. Dough with the right ratio of water to flour should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom.
After the dough has risen for about an hour, its time to start turning it. Slide a plastic bench scraper or rubber spatula under one side of the dough; gently lift and fold a third of the dough toward the center.
Repeat the previous step with the opposite side of the dough.
Finally, fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds. The dough shape should be a rough square. Cover, let rise for 30 minutes, then repeat the turning process. Cover and rise about 30 minutes longer, until dough has doubled in size. 
Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently pat the dough into a rough 8 by 6-inch rectangle, with the long edge towards you.
Gently fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center and press to seal.
Gently fold the bottom of the dough up to the top and press to seal.
Using the side of your floured hand, create a large crease down the middle of the dough.
Working from one end of the loaf to the other, pinch the top and bottom of the dough together securely.
Gently roll the baguette back and forth to stretch it into an even 15-inch-long baguette, about 2 inches wide. Roll the loaf seam side down and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cut four inch-deep slashes along the width of the dough. This creates an escape route for the steam trapped inside the bread as it bakes.
