Classic Danish Pastry is thought to be a variant of
Puff Pastry. They are made from similar
techniques, but Danish is made from a yeast dough. This made Danish light and
fluffy as never seen before.
Good Danish
pastry simply referred to as "Danish" consists of layers upon layers of flaky
buttery crust filled with a myriad of fillings, such as apples, blueberries,
apricots or other fruit, cream cheese and almond paste.
HOW IS DANISH MADE?:
Danish is made with using yeast in the dough, but prepared by
using one of two techniques:
- Using a butter block with a
firm plastic consistency,
fold, roll, shape and bake, just like making Puff
Pastry (laminate dough), the traditional way, or;
- Made like a cross
between laminate dough and making bread dough.
Danish dough made via the Puff Pastry method,
when baked is described as buttery,
golden, flaky and deliciously crisp. It rises because of
the yeast as well as the steam. The layers of butter help separate the dough
into the tender flakiness that distinguishes good Danishes. When baked, the
butter worked into the layers of dough gives off moisture, and the resulting
steam causes the thin layers of dough to puff and rise.
Some Danish recipes are more bread-like in texture and are
thus made using those techniques.
MAKE DANISH PASTRIES -
SOME EXAMPLES:
Danish pastry comes in all sorts of shapes.
Pinwheels: Spread with
remonce. Sprinkle on some extra cinnamon sugar.
Brush the of the square with egg wash. Cut a slit from each corner almost into
the center, stopping just short of the center. Fold every other tip into the
center, overlapping them, and press firmly. Place on a baking sheet lined with
parchment paper. Proof, covered, about 1/2 hour. Press the center down with your
finger where the tips overlap and fill with 1/2 rounded teaspoon jam or filling.
Egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar,
and bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely colored.
Envelopes: Spread square
with remonce. Sprinkle with finely chopped
chocolate mixed with sugar. Turn the square so that a point is at the top. Put
and elongated mound of about 2 tablespoons of
cheese filling from top to bottom. Egg
wash the side corners. Fold one corner over the filling and press
firmly. Fold the other end over the top and press very firmly to seal. Place on
lined baking sheet and proof, covered, about 1/2 hour. Brush with
egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and
chopped chocolate. Bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. (Or spread
with lemon curd and then cheese filling and garnish before baking with toasted
sliced almonds.)
Cheese pockets: Spread the
square with remonce. Place a rounded tablespoon
of cheese filling in the middle of the
square. Brush the corners with egg wash.
Fold two opposite sides up and press firmly, as in the envelopes above. Bring
the bottom corner up and press firmly over the fold. Lastly, bring the top
corner up and across the fold and pinch it to seal. Proof, covered, as above.
Egg wash and sprinkle the top with
streusel. Bake about 25 minutes, until nicely browned.
Turnovers: Spread with
remonce. Place a big dollop of
chunky homemade applesauce or
pear sauce on one side of the square. Egg wash
the edges and fold over into a triangle. Press around the edge with a fork to
seal. Before baking, egg wash and
sprinkle with coarse or pearl sugar.
FILLINGS
