Instructions

1. 1

   Spread the ready-rolled puff pastry out on the work surface with its paper and leave it for a few minutes. Cold pastry breaks as you roll it up, whereas slightly warmed pastry rolls up without cracks.

2. 2

   Spread the cream cheese evenly over the pastry, leaving two centimetres free along the opposite long side. The free border sticks the roll together at the end.

3. 3

   Lay the ham closely over the cream cheese, snip the chives finely, scatter them on top and pepper everything. The ham goes on in a single layer only, so that the roll does not slide apart later.

4. 4

   Roll the pastry up tightly from the long side and lay the roll seam side down. Only a tightly wound roll keeps its round shape when cut.

5. 5

   Cut the roll into sixteen slices about 2 cm thick with a sharp knife, sawing rather than pressing so that the layers of pastry are not squashed together.

6. 6

   Beat the egg yolk with the milk and brush the swirls with it. Without this egg wash the pastry stays pale in the basket.

7. 7

   Cut a piece of baking paper to the size of the basket and lay it in. The paper must not stick out over the rim and has to be weighed down by the food, otherwise it flies into the fan.

8. 8

   Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C so that the pastry rises immediately instead of drying out slowly.

9. 9

   Set the swirls onto the baking paper in a single layer with room around them and do not stack anything; cook larger quantities in two rounds. Cook at 180 °C.

10. 10

    Pull the basket out and move the swirls around with a spatula so that the pieces from the hot edge come to the middle; they are not turned over, because the risen pastry would otherwise collapse. Carry on cooking at 180 °C until the pastry is golden brown and baked through.