Danish Pastry

Name: Danish Pastry
Yield: makes 2 to 4 dozen, depending on the size
Ingredients: 1 recipe laminated dough (page 181); 1 egg, for egg wash (optional); 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash (optional); 2 tablespoons (0.75 oz / 21 g) ground cinnamon, for cinnamon sugar (optional); 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) sugar, for cinnamon sugar (optional); 1 recipe white fondant glaze (page 144); 3/4 cup (6 oz / 170 g) water; 3/4 cup (3 oz / 85 g) sugar; 1 heaping tablespoon apricot preserves (optional); 1/2 lemon (optional); 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese; 2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature or melted; 6 tablespoons (3 oz / 85 g) sugar; 1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g); 1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) vanilla or lemon extract; 1 3/4 tablespoons (0.5 oz / 14 g) unbleached all-purpose flour or unbleached bread flour; Pinch of salt; 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, pitted cherries, sliced or diced strawberries, or diced apricots, peaches, apples, or pears; 3/4 cup (6 oz / 170 g) cool water; 2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) sugar; Pinch of salt; 1 tablespoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) cornstarch; 6 tablespoons (3 oz / 85 g) lemon juice (fresh is better than bottled); 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) sugar; 2 eggs (3.5 oz / 99 g), beaten; 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces

December 14, 2011

There are dozens of shapes for Danish pastry, far more than I have room to demonstrate, but the shapes below are fundamental and fairly easy to master. (For more shapes, I suggest going to the Web.) The first shape, called Schnecken (German for “snail”), is probably the most common shape; with Schnecken, you have the option of applying cinnamon sugar to the dough before cutting and shaping. The second shape is a simple pinwheel that’s very pretty and popular for serving to guests and on special occasions. I’ve provided a few recipes for fillings, but you can also use commercial pie fillings (just don’t use regular fruit preserves, jams, or jellies because they don’t contain starch and aren’t oven stable, so they’ll melt out of the Danish). I’ve also provided recipes for two glazes for finishing the Danish and recommend you use both: a hot syrup glaze for shine and retaining freshness, and a simple fondant glaze to accentuate the flavor and provide visual appeal.

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