Yuletide Danish Pastry Recipes

DANISH PASTRY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Divide into 2 equal parts, and roll each half between 2 pieces of waxed paper into a 6 x12 inch sheet. Refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, mix together the dry yeast and 3 cups of the remaining flour. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and salt. Heat to 115 degrees F (43 degrees C), or just warm, but not hot to the touch. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour and yeast along with the eggs, and lemon and almond extracts. Stir for 3 minutes. Knead in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is firm and pliable. Set aside to rest until double in size.
• Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out to a 14 inch square. Place one sheet of the cold butter onto each piece of dough, and fold the dough over it like the cover of a book. Seal edges by pressing with fingers. Roll each piece out to a 20x 12 inch rectangle, then fold into thirds by folding the long sides in over the center. Repeat rolling into a large rectangle, and folding into thirds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove from the refrigerator one at a time, and roll and fold each piece two more times. Return to the refrigerator to chill again before shaping. If the butter gets too warm, the dough will become difficult to manage.
• To make danishes, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. The dough can be cut into squares, with a filling placed in the center. Fold 2 of the corners over the center to form a filled diamond shape. Or, fold the piece in half, cut into 1 inch strips, stretch, twist and roll into a spiral. Place a dollop of preserves or other filling in the center. Place danishes on an ungreased baking sheet, and let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Danishes can be brushed with egg white for a shiny finish.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottoms are golden brown.

DANISH KRINGLE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cut 1 cup butter into flour until crumbly, leaving pea-sized chunks. Stir in sour cream, and mix well; dough will be very sticky. Form dough into a ball. Cover tightly, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Prepare the filling by combining 1 cup butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup chopped walnuts.
• Divide dough into three equal parts; return two parts to the refrigerator to keep cold. Quickly form 1/3 of the dough into a rectangle, and flour lightly. On a heavily floured surface, roll out to approximately 12x17 inches. Position lengthwise on the work surface. Along the long edges of the dough rectangle, use a sharp knife to cut 4 inch long angled lines about 1/2 inch apart. Spoon 1/3 of the filling along the length of the rectangle's uncut center. Alternating from one side of the dough to the other, fold each 1/2 inch wide strip towards the center, crisscrossing the filling in a braid-like fashion. Lightly press together the ends of the strips to seal. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 3 braided danishes. Arrange danishes on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool for approximately 30 minutes. While the danishes are cooling, prepare the icing: mix confectioners sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle in fine streams over warm danishes.

DANISH PASTRIES

Steps:

• Pulse together the dry ingredients plus 2 tsp salt in a processor, then pulse in the milk and egg, plus 100ml water, until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Knead for 1 min, using a little flour, until just smooth. Put into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr until doubled in size (overnight in the fridge if you like).
• Flour your surface, then pat the dough out to a rectangle, 1cm thick. Lay the butter slices out over the middle of the dough, in a rectangle. Fold the pastry over the top, bottom and then sides until the butter is completely hidden. Press the edges down.
• Roll the dough out to a 50 x 30cm rectangle, first tapping out the dough with the rolling pin in gentle ridges, so that you can tell the butter is being squashed out evenly inside the pastry, before rolling properly. Turn dough 90 degrees, then fold the right third over and the left third over that. Do this three times, chilling for 15 mins after each roll.
• Cut the dough in half, into 2 squares. Roll one piece of dough to 35 x 35cm. Cut into 9 squares, then follow the instructions below for each filling and shape. If you want to make more than one shape, it's easy to divide the filling quantity. Don't worry if your squares rise as you work, just roll them out a bit again.
• To make 18 pecan pinwheels, whizz 85g pecans until fine, then stir in 50g light muscovado, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 25g softened butter. Cut each square of pastry almost to the middle from each corner, spoon on 1 tsp filling, then fold each point over and press into the middle. Scatter more chopped pecans and a little sugar over before baking. Drizzle with a little maple syrup to serve.
• For 18 apricot custard turnovers, you will need 150g tub custard, 2 x 320g cans apricots and a few tsps apricot jam. Put 2 tsp custard in the middle, sit two apricot halves on top, dot with jam, then pull 2 corners over and pinch to seal.
• To make 18 raisin swirls, mix 50g raisins, 25g caster sugar, 1 tsp mixed spice and 50g soft butter. Instead of cutting the dough into 9, leave it whole and spread the filling over. Roll up, slice into 9 rounds, then squash each one. Blend 50g icing sugar and a few drops of water to drizzle over once baked.
• Once shaped and filled, let the pastries rise for 30 mins until puffed and doubled in size. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush with beaten egg, make sure you pinch any edges together again, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and risen.

CHRISTMAS DANISH PASTRY

Steps:

• Read and Follow Carefully!
• Pastry: Place butter and sugar in 4-quart bowl, pour heated milk over fat.
• Let stand while yeast dissolves in 1/2 cup water and 1 tbs sugar.
• Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.
• When yeast is dissolved and bubbly, add eggs and beat well.
• Add yeast/egg mixture to cooled milk mixture.
• Add salt to flour in sifter and sift in to bowl of above ingredients.
• Beat with a spoon until all flour is added to make a soft dough.
• Let rise until double.
• Custard: Heat milk.
• Mix sugar, salt and flour together and stir into hot milk.
• Stir until thick, beat egg yolk and gradually add hot mixture TO YOLK until hot and then add back to original mixture.
• Cook 1 minute more.
• Let cool.
• Almond Filling: Beat all ingredients together with mixer.
• Crumb Mixture: Combine flour, sugar and walnuts; mix in the 1/2 cup butter until well mixed.
• Assembly: Divide dough into 3 portions, or, make up to 12 small pastries.
• Roll out to about 1/4 to 1/2 thick rectangles, long side perpendicular to you works best.
• Place fillings down center of rectangle in this order: Custard, almond filling, crumb mixture.
• Cut equal number of slits on both sides of rectangle, leaving the center 1/3 of dough intact with fillings.
• Braid the strips you just cut over the fillings.
• Place pastries in foil lined pans, brush with egg white beaten with 2 tbs water.
• Place halved maraschino cherries, like buttons, down the top and sprinkle with more crumb mixture.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 min for small pastries, 30 minutes for medium, and 35-40 minutes for large.

YULETIDE DANISH PASTRY

Steps:

• To make pastry:.
• Mix all pastry ingredients in a large mixing bowl only until will blended.
• Cover and let rise till doubled.
• Meanwhile, make fillings and toppings.
• For Cream Filling:.
• Heat milk in saucepan.
• Mix egg yolk into dry ingredients.
• Add a little warm milk to temper, then mix with heated milk.
• Stir and cook till thick.
• Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap.
• Cool.
• For Almond Filling:.
• Mix all ingredients with until well blended.
• For Streusel Topping:.
• Mix all ingredients with fingers or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs.
• For Almond Icing:.
• Combine powdered sugar with enought milk or cream to make a slightly runny icing.
• Add almond extract.
• Punch down dough.
• Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
• Using one portion of the dough, roll out into a rectangle on a lightly floured board.
• Spread 1/4 cream filling on each; then 1/4 almond filling.
• Roll up jelly-roll fashion.
• Cut about 10 slashes through top with a sharp knife.
• Repeat with remaining 3 portions of dough.
• Place each roll on greased cookie sheet.
• Shape into wreath or candy cane shape.
• Sprinkle with streusel topping.
• Let rise in a warm place till double in bulk.
• Bake at 375* for 20 minute.
• Drizzle with Almond Icing and sprinkle with almonds.