Danish pastry
Buttery, tender, and flaky after baking, this Danish pastry is the most delicious pastry dough recipe you can get your hands on to make sweet and savory baked goods. With simple ingredients and no special equipment, it’s easy to make at home.
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 188kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a hook attachment or hand mixer with a hook attachment and a large mixing bowl (the recipe can be made 100% by hand as well)
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 g bread flour
- 4 g instant yeast
- 35 g white granulated sugar
- 5 g salt
- 115 ml whole milk lukewarm
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 15 g unsalted butter melted
Butter block
- 135 g unsalted butter slightly cold
Instructions
Dough (read how to make the dough by hand in the notes section below)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, combine the bread flour, instant yeast, white granulated sugar, and salt.
- Add the milk, egg, and melted butter and knead for 4 minutes at medium speed until the dough has formed. Shape it into a ball on a lightly-floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- Deflate and roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 5” by 10” (13cm by 25cm) rectangle. Be as precise as possible. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for 20 minutes.
Butter Block
- Draw a 4 ½” by 4 ½” (12cm by 12cm) square on parchment paper using a ruler and a pencil. Arrange pieces of the butter so they approximately fill in the square. Fold the parchment paper on all sides, following the lines enclosing the butter. Gently beat it with the rolling pin, evenly spreading and connecting the pieces.
- Roll the butter within the envelope, gently forcing it into the corners, creating a precise square that is even in thickness. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until cold but still bendable.
Laminating
- Place the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and position the butter block in the middle so it has thin dough borders on the left and right sides.
- Fold the bottom and top dough overhangs towards the center of the butter block so they meet. Pinch them and the dough on the sides to seal the butter inside.
- Rotate the slab 90 degrees left and add some flour underneath. Gently beat it with the rolling pin, elongating the dough and filling the possible space inside the slab with butter. Roll it to make it even and adjust the ends so the dough keeps a rectangular shape. The slab should be approximately 7” by 14” or 17cm by 35cm.
- Brush off the visible white flour (do this every time before folding the dough).
- Perform a four-fold turn, aka a book fold: fold the bottom and top ends towards the center of the dough, leaving a small gap in between them. Then, fold the slab in half. It should look like a closed book. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove from the fridge and place the dough on the rolling surface, rotating it 90 degrees left so the book opening is on the left side. Roll the dough into a 7” by 14” or 17cm by 35cm slab. If any air bubbles appear on the surface, gently burst them with a toothpick and seal the dough again to prevent the butter from leaking out down the road.
- Do a three-fold turn, aka letter fold or simple fold: fold the bottom third over the middle third. Then, fold the top third over the bottom third that you folded previously. From the side, this fold should look like a spiral. Wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees to the left, so that the exposed end of the spiral is facing the left side, before you start rolling. Repeat the three-fold turn and refrigerate for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, freeze it for 40 minutes to slow down the yeast, and then refrigerate it for 6-8 hours (overnight) to bake first thing in the morning. In total, you should perform one four-fold and two three-fold turns.
- Now, your dough is ready to be rolled out, cut, shaped, proofed for 20 -30 minutes or until puffy, and baked. The baking instructions will vary depending on the size and type of pastry you want to make, but in general, this dough is baked at 375F (190C).
Video
Notes
To make the dough by hand, mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until all dry flour has been incorporated. Transfer the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead for 7 minutes. Add more flour when needed. When the dough becomes less sticky and more homogenous, form a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel right on a kneading surface, and leave it to rest for 1 hour or until puffy. Deflate it, roll into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze it for 20 minutes.
Freezing: Roll out the final slab (which you would cut into portions for baking). Cover this slab with plastic wrap and then in a piece of foil, then freeze for two-to-three months. Before baking, thaw in the fridge until softened. Then, cut, shape, or fill with the filling of your choice, proof at room temperature until puffy, and bake.
You can also pre-cut the slab into portions and wrap each in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for 2-3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Danish pastry
Serving Size
1 serving
Amount per Serving
Calories
188
% Daily Value*
Fat
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
44
%
Trans Fat
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
42
mg
14
%
Sodium
172
mg
7
%
Potassium
47
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
19
g
6
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
3
g
3
%
Protein
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
349
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
0.001
mg
0
%
Calcium
21
mg
2
%
Iron
0.3
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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