Quick Puff Pastry

Traditional puff pastry is one of the trickiest recipes in the pastry world, so I was glad that Mushet offered a “Quick” Puff Pastry version. Quick Puff Pastry is made by cutting 3/4" cubes of butter into chilled flour, similar to making a piecrust. This recipe started with a whopping 4 1/2 sticks of butter (sorry Mom!) that I cubed, added to flour, and chilled for 30 minutes. Next, I used the paddle attachment on my mixer to cut the butter into the flour, creating flattened pieces of butter that would c0ontoirute to the flaky layers in the finished pastry. Next, a mixture of ice water and cider vinegar was added until the dough just pulled together. I dumped the dough onto a floured counter and mounded it into a large rectangle, At this point, I was a little worried because it just looked like a big mess, but the book said not to panic. After rolling out the dough and doing a letter turn, the dough was left to chill in the fridge for an hour. After two more letter turns the dough had come together quite nicely. After chilling overnight it was ready to go. Although I wouldn't call this recipe "quick", it was much easier than traditional puff pastry and I am confident it will provide a delicious, buttery, flaky base for the next few recipes!

Up next: Palmiers

Braided Danish Coffee Cake

Braided Danish tastes as good as it looks. This recipe was very similar to the bear claws--utilizing the same almond flavor profile, just baked in a different shape. I started by rolling out a large rectangle of Danish dough and splitting in half to create the base for two braids. Next, I smeared a row of almond filling down the middle of each rectangle and cut diagonal slits, one inch apart, down each side of the dough rectangles. Then for the fun part--I layered a strip from the right over a strip from the left and proceeded until I had two braided Danishes. After tucking the ends under, I left one of the braids to proof for an hour and wrapped the other one to freeze for surprise breakfast in the future. A simple egg wash and sprinkling of almonds completed the proofed Danish before baking in a 400-degree oven for 22 minutes. The finished braided Danish had a deep golden color with a perfectly splintered crust and heavenly almond smell. To finish everything off I used a fork to drizzle a generous amount of vanilla-scented icing over the pastry. Like the bear claws, this was delicious! I think I'll surprise my sister with the frozen braid—that should make for one happy brother-in-law!

Next up: Quick puff pastry

Bear Claws

Cindy Mushet says there are two types of people, those who love cheese Danish and those who prefer bear claws. After making this recipe I am proud to say I fall into camp #2. Bear claws are decadent pastries made of rich Danish dough, filled with a sweet almond paste, topped with more almonds, and baked until golden brown. To Ryan's dismay, prior to baking these, I had never tried a bear claw (my mom was a dietitian--what can I say?) and I had to google what they were supposed to look like. After rolling out the Danish dough, I cut twelve 4"x4" squares and topped each with a line of the almond filling I had made (a deliciously fragrant mixture of almond paste, sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg). Next, I folded over the dough to create a mini package, and then I sliced four slits to create the "claws". After gently arching them into half moons, I left the pastries to proof for an hour. I topped each bear claw with an egg wash and sliced almonds then into the oven they went for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. After the bear claws had cooled, I drizzled them with powdered sugar icing to complete the look. The bear claws were very rich and sweet, but just right for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. I really like these and I'm glad I tackled them at home. Who knew claws could taste so good?

Coming soon: Braided Danish Coffee Cake

Spiced Cardamom Twists

If you've never had cardamom, then you need to try this recipe. Cardamom is extremely aromatic with an earthy, ginger-like, spiciness often used in Indian cooking and a lot of Scandinavian baking. The recipe began by rolling out the dough into a large rectangle. After brushing the dough with an egg wash, I covered a quarter of the dough with a cardamom/sugar blend and the other quarter with a cinnamon/sugar blend (because not everyone likes cardamom’s assertive flavor). Next, I spread a small amount of crumbled almond paste over the spice blends and folded over the dough to create an envelope. I cut the dough into one-inch strips and twisted each one in a long rope and topped each with an extra sprinkling of sugar. After proofing for an hour, the twists baked in a 400-degree oven for 11 minutes. The finished twists were flaky, slightly doughy in the center, and very flavorful. I am looking forward to enjoying these with a cup of coffee tomorrow, but for all of the work involved, I don't know if I'll be making these again in the near future.

Next up: Bear Claws

Cheese Danish

I have to admit, I love Danish, but not necessarily cheese Danish. I went into this recipe ready to try something new and I am glad I did! I began by preparing the cheese mixture in the food processor (what did people do before them?!). Cream cheese, lemon zest, sugar, and egg blended together to create the smooth, cheesecake-like filling. While the cheese chilled in the fridge, it was time to turn my attention to the dough. The recipe called for half of the Danish dough I prepared the day before. Since the dough had chilled overnight, it rolled extremely easily and retained its cool temperature--one of the keys to a flaky pastry. The rolled dough was then cut into squares and topped with a dollop of the cheese mixture. I decided to hedge my bets and I used a boysenberry jam for half of the Danishes (just in case my hatred for cheesecake proved unchanged). To shape the pastries, I placed one corner of the dough over the filling and placed the diagonal corner on top, sealing the edges with water. The Danishes proofed for one hour and went back into the fridge for a final fifteen-minute chill before getting baked. After 16 minutes in a 400-degree oven, the Danishes were finished. I brushed each pastry with a thin apricot glaze to make them shine, and then I was ready to sample! I can't say enough about these--they are flaky, buttery, and so much better than the Danishes I usually associate with cheap continental buffets. Sadly, I still don’t love the cheese filling (shocker), but overall this recipe was awesome.

On deck: Spiced Cardamom Twists

Danish Dough

The next four recipes all begin with Danish dough--a close relative of croissant dough but with the extra addition of eggs, making it the softest of all laminated doughs. To begin, I created the dough block--a rough mixture of whole milk, yeast, flour, salt, and sugar. Once the dough block was formed, it went into the fridge for thirty minutes to chill. While the dough block chilled, I mixed cubes of butter with flour to create the beurrage (butter block) that would go between the layers of dough. Similar to croissants, Danish dough involves several "turns" to create the flaky layers in the finished pastries. The first turn was a letter turn, meaning the dough is folded in thirds like a letter. After an hour long chill, the dough was rolled out again and then folded using the book fold method (four folds layered like a book). Back into the fridge for another chill, and then one final letter fold. The finished Danish dough was now ready to chill overnight before forming the base for Cheese Danish and Cardamom Twists.

Next: Cheese Danish

Morning Buns

Morning Buns are San Francisco's amped up version of cinnamon rolls (and a special treat I look forward to having each weekend at our local coffee shop). Flaky croissant dough is rolled with cinnamon and sugar, baked in muffin tins, and tossed with granulated sugar for a sparkling finish. Since croissant dough is so time consuming, I made a double batch knowing that this recipe was next. I rolled out the dough into a large rectangle, brushed it with egg, and topped it with a generous amount of cinnamon and brown sugar. After rolling the dough into a long cylinder, I cut the dough into twelve portions and placed them in the muffin tin to proof. Once the buns had doubled in size, they cooked for thirty minutes in a 375-degree oven. While the buns were still warm, I tossed each one in the sugar for added crunch and a festive presentation. I can't say enough about this recipe--these morning buns are an unexpected and delicious departure from the average cinnamon roll.

Up next: Cheese Danish