REGGAE CHEF

Wow, I just made danish. I have always loved the taste of danish, its sweet buttery flavour and its light flaky texture. It never even occurred to me that I could actually make it. Well I did and it tastes wonderful. My family totally enjoys them. I am totally looking forward to breakfast on christmas morning. 

Making them was nerve racking, exciting and hard work, but it was worth it. Be sure to watch the videos at the end of this post showing you how to make danish by hand or by using a food processor.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces cold unsalted butter (cut into 1/4 inch slices)

Filling:

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped hulled strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Dough:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water for 3 minutes.
• Add the milk, 1 egg, sugar, and salt to dissolved yeast mixture and stir; set aside.
• Pour flour into food processor work bowl fitted with steel blade.
• Cut the butter into ¼ inch pieces and put into food processor along with flour.
• Pulse 8 - 10 times (1 seconds per pulse), until the butter is in ½ in chunks.
• Place the flour and butter mixture into a bowl and pour in the yeast, egg, milk, sugar and salt mixture and fold in ingredients gently with a spatula until a moist dough is formed, be careful not to break up the butter pieces while mixing.
• Cover dough with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. It can also be stored in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form dough into a square.
• Roll out dough into a rectangle using a rolling pin. (If at any time the dough becomes soft and sticky, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour)
• Fold dough into three parts like a letter, and then roll into a long rectangle.
• Repeat process three more times by folding the dough into three parts and then rolling out with a rolling pin. The folding and rolling process allows the butter to be incorporated into the flour and that is what causes the flaky buttery layors that danish are known for.
• Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Mean while, make strawberry filling for danish.

• Mix in the cornstarch with the sugar.
• Put strawberries, sugar and cornstarch into a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium heat.
• Bring all ingredients to a boil stirring constantly, use a potato masher to crush the strawberries while it boils.
• Let strawberry filling boil for 4 minutes or until it thickens.
• Pour into a bowl and cool.

This is a video demonstrating how to mix danish dough using a food processor.


This video demonstrates how to make danish pastry by hand.