Nigella Lawson's Processor Danish Pastry


These Danish are just fabulous, a little time is needed to create these buttery Danish delights but well worth the time and little effort. I have acquired this wonderful recipe from the cooking goddess Nigella Lawson, who's book 'How to be a domestic goddess' is well worth buying.  Note this recipe needs to be started the night before the day of use.  This Danish recipe is essential if travelling to remote locations which do not have a European bakery near by such as Fiji, Tonga and South America.  Guests are always wowed when the Danishes are home-made.  Make several batches at a time and freeze in squares or freeze as uncooked complete Danishes, remove from freezer, prove over night in fridge or kitchen depending on temperature and bake in the morning, perfect! on board bakery.

Makes 12 Danish

Ingredients

60ml warm water
125ml milk, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
350g white bread flour
7g (1 sachet) easy-blend yeast or 15g fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
25g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2 cm slices

Method

Pour water, milk and egg into a measuring jug, whisk with a fork to combine and place to one side.

Place the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a food processor and give it a quick pulse to mix.  Add the cold slices of butter and process briefly to cut the butter into the dry mixture, it will still be lumpy with 1cm lumps through the dry mix.

Empty the dry butter mix from the food processor into a large bowl, straight away add the wet mixture of water, milk and egg.  Using hands or a rubber spatula fold the wet mix into the dry mixture, do not over mix,  a gooey mess with butter lumps is what you are needing to achieve.

Cover the bowl with cling film, place in fridge overnight or this can be left for four day in the fridge before continuing on.

Remove the bowl from the fridge and form a pastry by placing onto a floured work surface and add more flour if required and mould into a pastry dough.  Trying not to over handle.

 Roll it out to a 50 x 50 square.   Fold the dough square into thirds, like a business letter then turn it afterwards so that the closed fold is on your left, like a spine of a book.

Roll out again to a 50cm square, and repeat steps above 3 times.

Cut the pastry in half and wrap both portions in plastic wrap, place into the fridge for 30 minutes to rest or can keep up to 4 days in fridge if you have NOT already done so) or can freeze half the pastry and use half the pastry.

Roll out the pastry into a big square and cut into thirds horizontally.  Then cut in half down the middle, giving 6 squares.  Take each square and put a tablespoon of mixture such as custard and an apricot half, stewing apple, almond, lemon curd, cheese mixture or simply plum jam.

 Place the mixture on a diagonal then bring up the opposite corners and pinch together , then flatten the pastry slightly to give a cigar shape or place the mixture in the middle of each square and fold the corners up together and pinch them.

Place the desired shaped Danish onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with egg glaze.  Leave to rise until the Danishes double in size.  Around 1 1/2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, gas mark 4.

Bake for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden.

Transfer to wire rack and cool slightly then brush with clear glaze then drizzle with sugar glaze once cool.

Almond Danish

Makes 6

a half quantity of processor Danish pastry dough, 2 sheets of lined or oil baking tray.

For almond filling

150g blanched almonds, toasted
80g icing sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg white, beaten lightly


To make almond mixture
Process the almonds and icing sugar together until finely ground, add the butter and pulse to combine, add the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of the egg white, this mixture can be kept in the fridge for a week.


For egg glaze
1 large egg beaten and 2 tablespoons milk

For clear glaze
100g caster sugar
60ml water

For the sugar glaze
100g icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons warm water

Cheese Danish filling

Filling is for 6 Danish

200g ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons caster sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons, unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Combine all the ingredients above.





Comments

Popular Posts