cubano pinwheels.
All of the gooey, meaty, flavor of a cuban sandwich wrapped up in a flaky, crunchy puff pastry pinwheel. Served with tangy mustard sauce, this easy appetizer will keep guests coming back for more.
Serves: 12 pinwheels Prep time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes
I won’t bore you with a long intro for this one; I don’t even have a story about how these came to be. I simply woke up one day, thought a Cubano appetizer would be awesome, and drifted back to sleep thinking about it.
A Cubano, or Cuban sandwich, is a pressed sandwich that originated in Cuba as a mixto and eventually landed in Florida, becoming one of the most popular street foods among Cuban immigrants. Of course, over time, the original sandwich evolved, varying in ingredients across the state of Florida. In Tampa, Cuban sandwiches usually include salami, whereas Miami Cubanos will be pressed with roasted pork.
Variations aside, the most common interpretation of a Cubano is a soft, crusted bread (not quite as crusty as French baguette, but not soft like a loaf of white), sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, a mayo-mustard sauce, and roasted pork (sometimes called Mojo pork). Since these pinwheels, by design, have to take some liberties with the Cubano formula, I swapped the roasted pork for deli slice roast beef, which rolls far easier. Otherwise, you have the classic ingredients of a Cubano rolled into little, melty, crispy puff pastry bites.
The development did take quite a while, and I tested it a few too many times (By that I mean, I failed too many times). It started as mini sandwiches, switched to puff pastry, and landed at puff pastry pinwheels. And from there, it took a couple tries to get these right.
But that means I can help you avoid the mistakes I made along the way.
How do I roll and slice pinwheels?
This might seem straightforward, but I’ll admit I made a few mistakes that compromised my pinwheels. My first mistake was thinking I had to roll the pastry out — it won’t look like much real estate, but once you roll it into a log and slice, you’ll have 12 full pinwheels. Instead, simply unfold the thawed pastry and work with that.
My second mistake was working on a sticky, unfloured surface. Work on parchment or a dusting of flour so that the pastry doesn’t stick and tear. You’ll notice, when rolling the log, how much this matters — if the pastry tears, the pinwheel falls apart.
To roll, start at one side (doesn’t matter which) and firmly, tightly roll into a log. If any cheese or meat get rolled out, just trim the excess. Then, tightly wrap the log in plastic and chill.
Chill until the pastry is cold to touch and mostly firm (it won’t harden). This can take about 15 minutes, but I’d recommend doing it as far in advance as you can, up to 8 hours.
When time to slice, work quickly and slice as cleanly as possible with a sharp knife. The pinwheels might start to unravel slightly as you move them around, so handle them gently and push them into shape.
Why aren’t my pinwheels turning golden brown and flaky?
This is the part that took me the longest to figure out: My pinwheels just weren’t getting brown, crispy, and flaky in the oven. Here are the root causes:
The puff pastry got too warm. While it’s better to work with room-temp puff pastry for pliability, it is important that it goes into the oven cold. Cold butter steams and bakes in such a way that causes separation between layers, something you want in a pastry because it then becomes flaky. To avoid this, chill the log for as long as possible, and consider chilling the sliced pinwheels before baking, too.
The pinwheels weren’t egg washed. I’ll admit, I got a little lazy on my first batch and only brushed the tops of the pinwheels. Indeed, you really need to brush around the exterior, too.
The pinwheels are underbaked. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why my pinwheels were still dense and doughy even a few minutes past the recommended bake time. I ended up air frying some of the failed leftovers, which turned out exactly how I originally intended them to be. The reason they were dense and doughy? They were underbaked. You need to bake these for about double the time on the box — or until the pastry is golden brown and flaky.
I found that leaving a little space along the edges made rolling easier.
cubano pinwheel ingredients
puff pastry: The classic Pepperidge Farms pastry is my favorite, I think it puffs and browns the best. I did try this recipe with Trader Joe’s pastry, too, and had about the same results. One note: Trader Joe’s puff pastry instructs a 2 hour thaw time, but I found it to be much shorter (around 40 minutes). Both brands required far longer than the package instructions.
sliced ham: This is deli sliced ham, the kind you’d put on sandwiches. Look for a thin cut, if possible, to make it easier to roll the pinwheels.
sliced roast beef: Deli sliced roast beef, because roast pork just doesn’t make sense here and roast beef does the job. If you’d prefer not to use roast beef for any reason, swap for salami, more ham, or even turkey.
dill pickles: You could use pickle relish, but I find relish to be too sweet. Instead, finely dice dill pickles until they are almost paste-like. Trust me, it doesn’t take very long and is worth the muted tangy flavor.
swiss cheese: Baby Swiss and regular Swiss both work well. I think slices are easiest here, but you could also use shredded cheese. You can swap for provolone, or switch it up a bit and use Monterey Jack, pepperjack, or even white cheddar.
egg: Just one egg, beaten. I find it works best without water or milk.
mayonnaise: For the sauce — just use whatever your favorite mayonnaise is.
mustard: Yellow might sound strange for a dipping sauce, but promise, it’ll make sense in the context of Cubanos where yellow mustard is typically used. You may have to taste and adjust — if the sauce is too spicy (like horseradish spicy), add more mayonnaise.
garlic: This is what elevates the sauce from “mayo and mustard” to “dipping sauce”. Grate or press the garlic so it blends smoothly with the sauce.
salt: Just a pinch to balance the sauce a bit — you’d be surprised what a pinch of salt can do to some mayonnaise.
This is about how the log should look all rolled up -- no looser than this, or your pinwheels will fall apart.
Cut 1/2-inch slices, or about the width of a finger.
cubano pinwheel pairing options
These are great appetizers for game day, holiday parties, or summer barbecues. Serve Cubano pinwheels alongside similarly snacky apps, gameday eats, and cocktails:
Space pinwheels about 1/2-inch apart to allow for the expanding puff pastry.
Serve warm with mayo-mustard dip.
