Serves 1
Directions
- 1In the bowl of a stand mixer, measure 165g warm water, 165g room temperature milk, 50g sugar, 8g instant yeast, 10g salt, and 540g all-purpose flour.
- 2Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed for about two to three minutes until well combined.
- 3Once the dough has come together, add 40g of softened butter, one piece at a time.
- 4Increase mixer speed to medium and continue to mix for another three to four minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough strengthens up and clears the bowl.
- 5Flip the dough into a medium bowl and round it into a taut ball.
- 6Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment for 90 minutes at room temperature.
- 7Grab two large sheets of parchment paper and a ruler, then draw an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle vertically on one sheet.
- 8Place the second piece of paper under the first, and fold along the drawn lines to create two creased rectangles.
- 9Drop 225g of softened butter into the middle of the bottom creased parchment.
- 10Use the wrapper to flatten the butter slightly, then place the second piece of folded parchment paper on top and close the folds to trap the butter.
- 11Flip the folded butter package over onto the seam, flat side up.
- 12Use a rolling pin to pound and then push and spread the butter into the corners of the rectangle until it forms a relatively flat and straight-edged layer.
- 13Scoot the butter block onto a sheet tray and refrigerate to firm up.
- 14After 90 minutes of dough fermentation, flour your bowl and cutting board, then flip out the dough onto the board.
- 15Add a touch more flour on top to prevent the rolling pin from sticking.
- 16Roll the dough into a roughly 10-inch wide and 18 to 20-inch tall rectangle with relatively square edges.
- 17Drop a piece of parchment paper about halfway up the rolled dough and fold the dough over that paper.
- 18Cover the dough with a towel and slide it into the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
- 19At the same time, take the butter block out of the fridge to soften for about 20 minutes until it is malleable but not warm and mushy.
- 20Unfurl the chilled dough, straighten it, and place the butter block on the bottom two-thirds of the dough sheet.
- 21Carefully pull out the parchment paper from under the butter block.
- 22Fold the top third of the dough over the middle third, and then the bottom third over that, pinching the open sides shut to prevent butter from squeezing out.
- 23Turn the dough 90 degrees, straighten it, and lightly dust with flour.
- 24Roll the dough out into roughly a 10-inch wide by 18 to 20-inch tall sheet, applying gentle pressure.
- 25Turn the board and perform a book-style fold: grab the right side and fold it into the middle, then grab the left side and do the same, and finally fold the whole thing in half at the seam.
- 26Flatten the dough slightly into a sheet about 12 to 14 inches tall and eight inches wide.
- 27Scoot the dough back onto a sheet tray, cover it with a towel, and load it back into the fridge for about 20 minutes to relax the gluten and cool the dough.
- 28Remove the dough from the fridge and gently pound and roll it out into something about three-quarters of an inch thick, 16 inches wide, and 10 inches tall.
- 29Place the dough back onto the sheet tray and into the fridge for 20 more minutes to relax.
- 30Lightly dust the backside of the dough with flour, where the seams are.
- 31Cut the dough in half (you can freeze one half).
- 32Roll out the remaining dough on your board until it's about a half-inch thick.
- 33To cut uniform rounds, use a ring mold (or wide-mouth glass) by lining up the spots with the dull side and pressing out the rings with the sharp side.
- 34Alternatively, for smaller, more rustic danishes, cut the other sheet into squarish pieces and then into rough triangles.
- 35For the round danishes, roll them out slightly more, from about three inches to four inches.
- 36Lightly flour the dough, then dab a small amount of water around the edges with your fingertips.
- 37Fold up and press down the edges to create a raised exterior and a sunken interior.
- 38Use your thumbs to stretch the shaped dough slightly larger.
- 39Move the shaped dough onto a sheet tray lined with sprayed parchment paper to proof.
- 40Before adding cheese, use fingertips to spread out the centers of the danishes a little more to prevent the center bottom from being overly thick.
- 41To shape the triangle danishes, bring all three sides into the middle and press them until they stick.
- 42For the cream cheese filling, combine 75g powdered sugar, 2 egg yolks, 5g salt, 5g vanilla, and 450g softened cream cheese in a stand mixer bowl.
- 43Whip the filling with the paddle attachment for about one to two minutes until smooth, with no significant lumps.
- 44Squeeze a few ounces of whipped cream cheese into the center of the danishes; about 2 ounces for large rounds and 1 to 1.5 ounces for triangles.
- 45For the large round danishes, gently smush the cheese down with wet fingertips so it touches the pastry all the way around.
- 46Cover the sheet tray with another sheet tray and let the danishes rise on the counter for 90 minutes.
- 47After 90 minutes, for the large round danishes, add a large dollop of high-acid fruit jam (e.g., mixed berry jam) to the center of the cheese filling.
- 48Brush egg wash on the exposed dough.
- 49Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 16-20 minutes until golden brown.
- 50Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- 51Once cooled, glaze if desired by mixing 500g powdered sugar, 30g milk, and zest of half a lemon.
Ingredients
- 165 g warm water
- 165 g whole milk
- 50 g sugar
- 8 g instant yeast
- 10 g salt
- 540 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- Egg wash (egg with splash of milk)
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 5 g salt
- 5 g vanilla
- 450 g cream cheese, softened
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 30 g milk
- 0.5 Zest of lemon
Equipment
stand mixerdough hookmedium bowlparchment paperrulerrolling pinsheet traycutting boardtowelring molds
Tips
- Rounding the dough gives more strength and a more uniform starting point for rolling.
- High-fat butter is less likely to get absorbed by the dough during lamination and is more malleable.
- Be gentle with pressure when laminating dough to maintain separate layers of butter and dough for flakiness.
- To prevent cheese from sliding off in the oven, create a raised exterior with a sunken interior on the pastry.
- Smushing down the cream cheese filling with wet fingertips helps it spread more evenly and integrate fully with the final product.
- You can freeze half of the laminated dough for later use or make two different types of danishes with it.
- Using a dull side of a ring mold to line up cuts and then the sharp side for pressing out rings creates perfectly round danishes.
- A fork in the middle might prevent the inside from puffing, and messing with the layers might affect the flakiness.
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