Danish pastries

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 500 g bread flour, 60 g granulated sugar, 9 g instant yeast, 2 g ground cardamom and 9 g salt in the mixer bowl, add 160 g cold whole milk, 100 g eggs and 60 g water and knead on low speed, then finally add 40 g softened unsalted butter and knead for about five more minutes. Danish dough only needs moderate kneading, because the rolling and folding that follow keep developing the gluten. The dough is ready when it is smooth, soft, slightly tacky and stretches into a thick membrane.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Press the dough into a flat rectangle, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for about an hour and a half or overnight. Cold dough slows the yeast and matches the firmness of the butter, so the two layers spread evenly when rolled. The dough is ready when it is firm, cold and has risen slightly.

   Suggested time: about 90 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Heat 250 g whole milk until steaming, whisk 54 g egg yolks with 50 g granulated sugar and 20 g cornstarch, slowly pour in the milk, then cook again over medium heat while whisking constantly; turn off the heat and add 4 g vanilla extract. The custard filling must be thicker than usual so it doesn't spread in the oven. The custard is ready when it bubbles thickly and is thick enough to hold a mound on a spoon; then press plastic wrap onto it and chill.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Sandwich 300 g cold unsalted butter between two sheets of parchment paper, pound and roll it with a rolling pin into a square about 18 cm across, then refrigerate. Butter that is pounded pliable but still cold rolls out thin with the dough without breaking into pieces. The butter block is ready when it is flat, evenly thick and bends without breaking.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Roll the dough into a large square about twice the size of the butter block, set the butter diagonally in the center, then fold the four corners of the dough over to enclose it and pinch the edges firmly. Sealing the butter in keeps it from showing through or leaking out as you roll. The dough is ready when the butter sits snugly inside and the edges of the dough are sealed together.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Dust the counter lightly with flour, roll the dough in one direction into a strip about 50 cm long, then fold it in thirds like a letter, brushing off excess flour from the surface before each fold. Each letter fold triples the number of butter layers, laying the foundation for the flaky texture. The fold is right when the edges line up and no butter breaks through the surface.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about thirty minutes. The butter needs to firm up and the gluten needs to relax; if you keep rolling right away, the butter will melt and the dough will shrink back. The dough is ready when it is evenly cold and feels as firm as cold butter when pressed.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Turn the dough ninety degrees so the folded edge faces you, roll it again into a long strip and fold it in thirds once more. Changing direction before each roll helps the layers develop evenly in both length and width. The dough is ready when the surface is smooth, the corners are square and the cut side shows fine streaks of butter.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for another hour before shaping. This long rest lets the dough relax fully so the pieces don't shrink or warp when cut. The dough is ready when a test-rolled corner keeps its size.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Roll the dough into a rectangle about five millimeters thick and cut it with a very sharp knife into sixteen squares about 10 cm on each side. A sharp knife cutting straight down keeps the edges from sealing the layers together so they rise tall and even. The squares are ready when the corners are neat and the cut sides clearly show the layers.

    Mark step 10 as done

11. Step 11

    Shape them as you like, for example folding four corners into the center for a pinwheel, or cutting two diagonal slits at the corners to make a frame, then place a spoonful of custard and a little 120 g fruit jam in the center and arrange them on a lined tray. Filling placed in the center gets wrapped by the rising layers of pastry. Each pastry is ready when the filling sits neatly in the middle and the folded corners are pressed firmly.

    Mark step 11 as done

12. Step 12

    Cover loosely with plastic wrap and proof the pastries in a warm spot at about 26 degrees Celsius for an hour and a half, never anywhere warmer. Too much heat will make the butter leak out of the layers and the pastries lose their flakiness. They are proofed when visibly puffed, jiggle slightly when you shake the tray and a gentle press leaves a dent that slowly fills back in.

    Suggested time: about 90 minutes.

    Mark step 12 as done

13. Step 13

    While the pastries proof, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and set a rack in the middle. The oven must be very hot so the water in the butter turns to steam right away and pushes the layers apart. The oven is ready when the heat indicator light has gone off.

    Mark step 13 as done

14. Step 14

    Lightly brush 50 g beaten eggs over the pastry, avoiding the cut edges, then bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 to 18 minutes. Egg on the edges glues the layers together and keeps the pastries from rising well. They are done when deep golden brown, light when lifted and evenly browned underneath.

    Bake at 200°C for about 15 to 18 minutes.

    Mark step 14 as done

15. Step 15

    Stir 80 g powdered sugar with 15 g water into a thick icing, wait for the pastries to cool a little, then drizzle it over the tops in thin lines. Drizzling while the pastries are still slightly warm helps the icing cling and dry into a translucent white layer. The pastries are finished when the icing has set on the surface and is no longer sticky.

    Mark step 15 as done