Danish

I've been craving Danish.  Sweet dough in general, but I kept coming back to Danish.  Danish is one of those fabulous things that is simply better homemade.  Don't get me wrong, it takes time and practice, but it's so good.  Soooo good!

Although I've done other laminated doughs, this was my first time to tackle Danish.  So, instead of making things my own, I used this is the recipe from On Baking, textbook of baking fundamentals. The results were good.  Practice will make them better.

Just for some background, Danish is different from other laminated doughs because it has butter in the dough, not just rolled into the layers.

Danish
Yields 16 

.25 oz Instant yeast
5 oz. Bread flour
5 oz. All-purpose flour
2 oz. Granulated sugar
2 fl. oz. Lukewarm water
2 fl. oz. Lukewarm milk
1 Egg
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Vanilla extract
1/4 t. Ground cinnamon
.75 oz. Melted butter
1/2 lb. Butter

Combine the two flours.  In bowl of stand mixer, add 6 oz. of combined flour, sugar, water, milk egg, salt,vanilla, cinnamon, and melted butter.  With paddle attachment mix until combined.

Add remaining flour gradually.  Switch to dough hook and knead for 3 minutes.  Place dough in bowl lightly dusted with flour.  Cover and refrigerate 1-1/2 hours.

While the dough is chilling prepare the lock-in butter.  Place the butter between sheets of plastic wrap.  with rolling pin, shape the butter to about 5 in. by 4 in. What I like to do is hit it a few times to get it moving and then roll it out.  Make sure the butter stays in the plastic and that it stays cool.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Here's where the fun begins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 10 in by 5 in.

Place butter on one half, with a border of dough all the way around.

Fold the other side of dough on top of the butter and press edges together to seal.

Again, roll out the dough to about 10 in by 5 in.  Fold the dough into thirds.  Place into refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.  This step completes one turn.  You need to do six turns.  Get excited.  You want the dough to be pliable but not too soft.  About 66 degrees.  But, if you do one turn and have to go away for a couple of hours it's okay just let the dough rest at room temp before you roll in out for the second turn.

Some things to remember while completing the turns.  You don't want the butter to peek through.  If some does, cover with some flour and move on.  Also, before you fold the dough into thirds, you want all flour removed from the dough.  Use a pastry brush and brush it away.  All of it.

After the six turns the dough has to rest again in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.  You could also freeze the dough for later, or half of it for later and then let bring it out to thaw a couple days before you're ready to bake.  

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the dough in half, keeping one half in refrigerator and working with the other.  Roll out dough on slightly floured surface to 10 in by 6 in.  Mark every 3/4 on the dough 

Then, with a pizza butter slice the dough into eight strips.

Twist the strip.

Then, coil into a snail shape.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Fill with some jam or sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for five minutes then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake until deep golden brown.  For me it was 13 minutes.  While still hot pipe on some glaze and enjoy!