Vanilla crown danish

Ingredients:

• 1 portion of danish pastry from this recipe 

For creme patissiere:

• 4 egg yolks
• 500ml milk
• 50g corn flour
• 120g caster sugar
• 2tsp vanilla paste

Additionally:

• small handful of chopped hazelnuts
• 1 egg white for brushing

To make the crème pâtissière, pour the milk into a pan, add the vanilla pod. Bring the milk up to the boil, then take it off the heat.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour. Pour the hot milk over the mixture and whisk.

Pour the custard back into the saucepan and set over a medium heat.

Stir the custard constantly until the mixture thickens. The custard should be very thick as it needs to be a firm set when the cake is assembled. 

Pour into a dish, cover the top with cling-film and chill in the fridge. 

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut into 12 squares.  

Pipe creme patissiere on top of each danish and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Leave to double in size for about 45-60 minutes.  

Brush the pastries with an egg white, then bake in a pre-heated oven at 190C for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Maple and pecan danish

Maple and pecan is a great combination and it must be one of my favourite pastries.  Sweet and nutty filling wrapped in soft and flaky danish pastry. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 portion of danish pastry from this recipe

For the filling:

• 60ml maple syrup
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 40ml honey
• 40ml double cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 120g chopped pecans
• 2-3 tbsp ground almonds

Additionally:

• 1 egg white (for egg wash)
• pecans to decorate

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about 0,5cm thick and cut into 6 rectangles. 

To make the filling place all of the ingredients, apart of the pecans, in a small saucepan and mix well, until combined.  

Cook over a low heat until the mixture has thickened.  Add chopped pecans and stir.  

  1. Spoon the mixture into the middle of each rectangle.

2. Cut diagonally both sides of the rectangle.

3. Make a little cut in the middle of each stripe.

4. To close the pastry cover with the stripes, once from the left, then from the right, until all used.  

Leave to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Brush with an egg white. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Almond danish pastries

Delicious pastry filled with soft almond and marzipan filling, drizzled with icing- perfect for breakfast or lunch!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 portion of danish pastry from this recipe (if using all of the dough, double the ingredients for the filling)

For the filling:

• 140g ground almonds
• 90 marzipan
• 40g caster sugar
• 5 tbsp double cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg white

Additionally:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• about 2 tbsp boiling water

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about 0,5cm thick and cut into 6 rectangles.

To make the filling mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Roll the filling into 6 little 'sausages' and place one on each rectangle.  Fold.

Leave to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

To make the icing mix icing sugar with boiling water, if too thick add more water if too thin- more icing sugar. Decorate.


Enjoy!

Danish pastry

Ingredients:

• 60ml lukewarm water
• 125ml milk (room temperature)
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 350g strong white bread flour
• 7g dried yeast
• pinch of salt
• 25g caster sugar
• 250g cold, unsalted butter

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast.  Chop the butter into 0,5cm cubes and add to the bowl.  

Quickly mix just to combine, do not break up the butter, only try to coat it in flour, you should be able to see a lot of lumps of butter.  

Add an egg, water and milk and mix with a spoon or a spatula to bring the mixture together, do not knead, be careful not to break up the butter too much.  Mixture should be lumpy and a little sticky.  Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge over night.  

  1. The next day take the dough out the fridge for an hour then roll it into 50cm x 50cm square (roughly, it can be a little smaller, the layer shouldn't be too thin).

 2. Fold the bottom part of the dough to the top (about 2/3 of the length).   

  3. Fold the top part of the dough bringing it to the bottom.

 4. Place the dough sideways (turn by 90°).

5. Roll the dough into a 50cm square again.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 another two times (three in total).

Chill the dough in the fridge for 30minutes, before using, or store in the fridge for up to four days.

The dough makes 12 danish pastries and needs to be left to rise for about one hour after cutting out and filling (just before baking), or until doubled in size.  

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!