Fruit Danish Pastries

When Randal gave me SaraBeth's Bakery Cookbook for Christmas, the very first thing I wanted to make from it was these danish pastries. I love making pastries, and my go to recipe for the past few years has always been Nigella Lawson's processor danishes. I love Nigella's recipe, but the only trouble I have with it is that the dough doesn't hold its shape when baking, which is why I so wanted to try making these twisted danishes. I had hope that these would hold together better, and I am so thrilled that they did.

I have to say though, that while I did love these danishes, I still think my favourite pastry is Nigella's. These were great straight out of the oven but they did seem to dry out very quickly and as these were made for Randal to take to the office the next morning that wasn't so good. I have never had that trouble with Nigella's recipe, so I think in the next few weeks I am going to make Nigella's dough recipe but use Sarabeth's technique... I think it might just make for the perfect danish pastry!


Detrempe
2 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg plus 4 large egg yolks
Seeds from 1 plumped vanilla bean
2 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Beurrage
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour




Sprinkle the yeast over 1/3 cup warm milk and leave for 5 minutes


Place in the mixer bowl, add the sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup of cold milk along with the 2 cups of flour, salt and butter.


Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, knead for a minute to smooth out the surface and shape into a ball


Dust a half sheet pan with flour, place the dough onto the pan and cut an X about 1 inch deep in the top of the ball. Sprinkle with flour and refrigerate


Clean the mixer bowl and add the 2 sticks of butter to the bowl and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 2 tablespoons of flour and continue beating for another 30 seconds


Shape into a 4 inch square, place on the sheet pan along with the detrempe and refrigerate for 15 minutes


Place the dough on the work surface with the ends of the X at 2, 4, 7 and 10 o'clock. Dust the top of the dough with flour and using the heel of your hand, flatten and stretch each quadrant to make a cloverleaf shape


Using a rolling pin roll each leaf into a flap about 6 inches long and 5 inches wide, leaving a raised square in the middle


Place the butter square (beurrage) in the center of the dough


Gently stretch and pull the north facing flap of dough down to cover the top and sides of the butter square


Then stretch the south facing flap of dough up to cover the top and sides of the butter square. Turn the dough so that the open ends of the square face north and south, repeat folding the flaps of dough over the butter square


Turn the dough over so that the folded flaps are face down with the open seam facing you. Using a rolling pin lightly pound the top of the dough to widen it slightly and help distribute the butter


Roll the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle


Fold into thirds and transfer to a sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes


Roll out the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle, fold the right side over 2 inches to the left


Fold the left side over to meet the right side


Fold the dough in half vertically from left to right, return to the sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes


Repeat rolling the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle, folding into thirds and cut the dough in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and freeze for 2-4 days


The night before using the dough, transfer to the refrigerator and let thaw overnight. Roll out dough to a 12x16 inch rectangle, fold the dough into thirds and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Return dough to work surface and unroll back into the 12x16 rectangle. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, sprinkle over the surface of the dough


Fold in half horizontally and cut the dough vertically into 1 inch strips


Twist one strip at a time into a 12 inch long spiral, wrap the strip in a counterclockwise motion into a snail shape, tuck the loose end under the pastry


Place onto sheet pan spacing them about an inch apart


Choose a warm place in the kitchen for proofing. Slip the pan into a tallkitchen sized bag and place a tall glass of very hot water near the center of the pan. Wave the opening of the bag to trap the air and inflate it like a baloon, twist the bag closed and leave until pastries look puffy, about 2 hours


Lightly moisten your finger with tepid water and gently depress the center of each pastry. Place a rounded teaspoon of peserves in each center. Lightly brush the pastries with the beaten egg, bake until danishes are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Brush with apricot glaze. I also added an icing sugar drizzle to the pastries, although not part of Sarabath's original recipe.



Detrempe
2 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg plus 4 large egg yolks
Seeds from 1 plumped vanilla bean
2 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Beurrage
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour

1. To make the detrempe, sprinkle the yeast over 1/3 cup warm milk and leave for 5 minutes. Whisk well and add to the mixer bowl, add the sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup of cold milk.

2. Add the egg, yolks and vanilla seeds to the yeast mixture, mix with the paddle attachment on low speed, add 2 cups of flour and salt to the bowl. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, knead for a minute to smooth out the surface and shape into a ball.

3. Dust a half sheet pan with flour, place the dough onto the pan and cut an X about 1 inch deep in the top of the ball. Sprinkle with flour and refrigerate.

4. Immediately make the beurrage. Clean the mixer bowl and paddle attachment. Add the butter to the bowl and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the flour and continue beating for another 30 seconds. Transfer to the work surface, and shape into a 4 inch square. Place on the sheet pan along with the detrempe and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5. Flour the work surface, place the dough on the work surface with the ends of the X at 2, 4, 7 and 10 o'clock. Dust the top of the dough with flour and using the heel of your hand, flatten and stretch each quadrant to make a cloverleaf shape. Using a rolling pin roll each leaf into a flap about 6 inches long and 5 inches wide, leaving a raised square in the middle.

6. Place the butter square in the center. Gently stretch and pull the north facing flap of dough down to cover the top and sides of the butter square. Then stretch the south facing flap of dough up to cover the top and sides of the butter square. Turn the dough so that the open ends of the square face north and south, repeat folding the flaps of dough over the butter square, making a butter filled packet of dough about 6 inches square.

7. Turn the dough over so that the folded flaps are face down with the open seam facing you. Using a rolling pin lightly pound the top of the dough to widen it slightly and help distribute the butter. Roll the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle, fold into thirds and transfer to a sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

8. Place the dough back on the work surface with the long open seam of dough facing you. Roll out the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle, fold the right side over 2 inches to the left and fold the left side over to meet the right side. Fold the dough in half vertically from left to right, return to the sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

9. Repeat rolling the dough into a 17 by 9 inch rectangle, folding into thirds and cut the dough in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and freeze for 2-4 days.

10. The night before using the dough, transfer to the refrigerator and let thaw overnight.

To make the fruit danish:
1/2 recipe danish dough
1 tbsp superfine sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup jam (I used raspberry, morello cherry and peach mango)
1 large egg
1/3 cup apricot preserves
2 tbsp water

1. Dust the work surface with flour, place dough on work surface with open seam facing you. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a 12x16 inch rectangle, fold the dough into thirds and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, return dough to work surface and unroll back into the 12x16 rectangle. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, sprinkle over the surface of the dough, fold in half horizontally and cut the dough vertically into 1 inch strips.

3. Twist one strip at a time into a 12 inch long spiral, wrap the strip in a counterclockwise motion into a snail shape, tuck the loose end under the pastry, place onto sheet pan spacing them about an inch apart.

4. Choose a warm place in the kitchen for proofing. Slip the pan into a tall kitchen sized bag and place a tall glass of very hot water near the center of the pan. Wave the opening of the bag to trap the air and inflate it like a baloon, twist the bag closed and leave until pastries look puffy, about 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly moisten your finger with tepid water and gently depress the center of each pastry. Place a rounded teaspoon of peserves in each center.

6. Lightly brush the pastries with the beaten egg, bake until danishes are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

7. Make apricot glaze by combining the apricot preserves and water in a small pan, bring to the boil then simmer for a minute. Strain glaze into a small bowl and brush the hot danishes with the hot apricot glaze.

Linked to: Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Rattlebridge Farm, Something Swanky, Stuff and Nonsense, What's Cooking, Love?, WhipperBerry, Flour Me With Love, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Create With Joy, Homemaker on a Dime, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou