Yuletide Danish Pastry Recipes

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.

Steps:

• 1. PASTRY: In a large bowl, place water and warm milk. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture and then sprinkle sugar over the yeast. Add softened butter, salt, eggs, and 2 cups flour. Beat for 2 minutes with mixer. Add 2 more cups flour and beat again with mixer for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover and let rise until double, about 45 minutes. Punch down. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. On a lightly floured board, roll each part into a rectangle. Spread 1/4 Cream Filling on each; then 1/4 Almond Filling on each. Roll up jelly-roll fashion on the long side. Cut about 10 slashes through top of rolls with a serrated knife. Place each roll on a greased cookie sheet, then form into a wreath shape or candy cane shape. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Drizzle warm bread with Almond Icing and sprinkle with slivered or sliced almonds.
• 2. Cream Filling: Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, then mix in egg yolk. Stir a tablespoon or two of warmed milk into egg mixture, then add egg mixture to the heated milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is bubbly and thick. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and cool.
• 3. Almond Filling: Combine all ingredients with a fork, wire whisk, or electric mixer until well blended.
• 4. Streusel Topping: Mix all ingredients with a fork, wire whisk, or electric mixer until well blended.
• 5. Combine powdered sugar with enough milk or cream to make a slightly runny icing. Stir in almond flavoring.

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.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk; stir until dissolved. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 1 pound, 4 ounces flour, sugar, salt, cardamom, and 4 tablespoons butter; beat on low speed until butter is incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse meal, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the yeast-milk mixture; mix until dough just comes together. Add the eggs and yolk; mix until just combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overmix.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, making sure to include any loose bits left at the bottom of the bowl. Gently knead to form a smooth ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap well with plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Paddle remaining 3 1/2 sticks butter with 2 tablespoons flour. Form flour and butter mixture into a 12-by-10-inch rectangle on a sheet of plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes or up to 1 day. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle, a little over a 1/4 inch thick, keeping the corners as square as possible. Remove any excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Remove butter mixture from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until it reaches the consistency of the dough. With a short side facing you, place butter mixture over 2/3 of the dough. Fold the unbuttered third over as you would a business letter, followed by the remaining third. This seals in the butter.
• Roll out dough again to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle, then fold dough into thirds as described above; refrigerate for 1 hour. This is the first of three turns. Repeat rolling and folding two more times, refrigerating for at least 1 hour between turns. To help you remember how many turns have been completed, mark the dough after each one: make one mark for the first turn, two for the second, and three for the third.
• Refrigerate dough, tightly wrapped in plastic, for at least 4 hours or overnight. Dough can also be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 weeks; before using, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

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.

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.