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Danish Pastries with Shortcut Homemade Dough Recipe

★★★★★

4.5 from 60 reviews
  • Author: Isabella
  • Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes (including chilling times)
  • Yield: 16 pastries 1x

Description

This recipe for Danish Pastries with Shortcut Homemade Dough offers a simplified method to create classic, flaky Danish pastries using a quick yeast dough and minimal mixing. The dough is enriched with cold butter and rolled and folded to create layers, then filled with fruity or cheese fillings, baked to golden perfection, and finished with a smooth vanilla icing. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, these pastries deliver authentic flavor and texture without the extensive time commitment of traditional Danish pastry making.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star (1 standard packet)
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature (between 68–72°F, 20-22°C)
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 14 Tablespoons (196g) unsalted butter, cold
  • 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for generously flouring hands, surface, and dough

Filling

  • 2/3 cup filling (fruity filling or cheese filling – see notes for options)

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk

Icing

  • 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preliminary Note: Read the entire recipe, watch the tutorial video, and understand the process before starting. Do not use an electric mixer; the dough requires minimal, gentle mixing.
  2. Make the Pastry Dough: Whisk warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then mix in remaining sugar, milk, egg, and salt. Set aside gently covered.
  3. Prepare Flour and Butter Mixture: Cut cold butter into 1/4 inch slices. In a food processor or blender, pulse butter and flour 12-15 times until butter breaks into pea-sized pieces.
  4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour flour-butter mixture into wet yeast mixture. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined to keep butter in pieces for flaky texture.
  5. Wrap and Refrigerate Dough: Place sticky dough onto plastic wrap or parchment, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to 48 hours.
  6. Roll and Fold Dough: Generously flour surface. Flatten dough, roll it into a 15×8 inch rectangle, fold into thirds like a letter, rotate, and repeat this rolling and folding process 3 times total.
  7. Second Refrigeration: Wrap dough tightly and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours or freeze if desired.
  8. Prepare Baking Sheets: Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats to catch butter drips during baking.
  9. Divide Dough and Shape Pastries: Cut dough in half. Roll each half into 8 pieces (~1/4 cup each). Shape each piece into a 2.5-inch circle with a raised edge lip and a flattened center.
  10. Add Filling: Spoon 2 teaspoons of fruity filling or 1 tablespoon cheese filling into each pastry center.
  11. Apply Egg Wash: Whisk egg and milk together; brush edges of pastries for golden finish.
  12. Optional Chilling: Chill shaped pastries 15 minutes to 1 hour to help maintain shape while baking.
  13. Preheat and Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Bake pastries for 19-22 minutes until golden brown, brushing on any leaking butter midway through baking.
  14. Cool Pastries: Remove from oven and cool at least 5 minutes before icing.
  15. Make Icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency as desired.
  16. Ice and Serve: Drizzle icing over warm pastries and serve immediately.
  17. Storage: Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently before serving.

Notes

  • Fruity fillings can include jam, preserves, or fruit compotes. Cheese filling typically uses sweetened cream cheese.
  • Using a food processor or blender to cut butter ensures pea-sized bits that create flakiness; pastry cutters can be used if unavailable.
  • Chilling dough between rolling/folding steps helps develop layers and maintain butter consistency.
  • Rimmed baking sheets catch butter drips and keep oven clean during baking.
  • Chilling shaped pastries before baking helps them hold their shape and prevents excessive spreading.
  • Butter leakage during baking is normal and can be brushed back onto dough for a buttery finish.
  • Do not overmix dough as this can melt butter pieces and reduce flakiness.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast Pastry
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Danish / Scandinavian

Keywords: Danish pastries, shortcut dough, homemade pastry, flaky pastry, breakfast pastry, yeast dough, sweet pastry

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Find it online: https://isabellavance.com/danish-pastries-with-shortcut-homemade-dough-recipe/