Danish Raisin Ring Recipes

RAISIN DANISH PASTRY SPIRALS - PAIN AUX RAISINS

Steps:

• In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and vanilla bean paste. Combine until smooth. Then, add the salt and vanilla extract. Followed by the milk. Stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Pro tip - Gradually, add the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps.
• Then, place the pan on medium-low heat and continue to cook the pastry cream stirring all the time. When the pastry cream is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon or spatula add the butter and take it off the heat.Pro tip - The liquid will transform from a foamy liquid to a thick custard with no foam at all. The cream must be thick so it can be spread in the pastry.
• Strain through a mesh or sieve - discard the vanilla pod as well as any curdled eggs. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.Pro tip - straining will ensure a smooth texture and remove any curdled or thickened milk solids. The cream must be thick so it can be spread in the pastry.
• Soak the raisins in rum for 4 hours up to overnight. Drain well before using it
• Heat the apricot jam and water on low heat until dissolved. Strain through a sieve - set aside until ready to use. Pro tip - If necessary, warm in the microwave for 10 seconds before using it.
• Dry ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment combine flour and salt. Set aside. You can also use a food processor to make this dough. Pro tip - Salt slows fermentation so we add it to the flour rather than directly into the wet mixture.
• Yeast mixture - In a measuring cup or bowl, combine milk, sugar, yeast, egg, and vanilla extract. Pro tip - you don't need to activate the instant variety but, I like to ensure my yeast is good. So, I leave the mixture aside for 3 to 5 minutes, if it foams it's good to go.
• Wet to dry - Then, add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Combine on medium-high until all flour is incorporated. Knead a minute more.Pro tip - the dough will be soft and sticky but do not add any more flour just yet.
• Knead - Then, gradually add the room temperature butter, one tablespoon at a time. Then, knead for 3 minutes on medium Alternatively, you can knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Rest - The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Remove from the mixer, and shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.Pro tip - Unless the dough is too soft and sticky you do not need to add any more flour. Also, if necessary add a few tablespoons only.
• Template - Use a parchment paper to create a template 12 x 6-inches (see video) - set aside.
• Cream - In the same bowl of the electric mixer bowl (no need to wash), cream the butter and flour just until combined. Transfer to the prepared parchment paper template. Spread evenly with a spatula. Use a rolling pin to guide it inside of the template towards the corners (see video)
• Divide - Use a ruler to mark them at 6 inches. So, now this will give you two 6 x 6-inch blocks (see video). Pro tip - we need 2 sheets of butter 6 x 6 inches each. You can use a 6-inches square baking pan to make two such blocks. This 12 x 6 method ensures the blocks are even. Pro tip - be gentle with the rolling pin using a spreading motion so the butter doesn't come out of the corners.
• Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.Pro tip - We want the fat to be cold but still be flexible so that when we roll it will spread between the folds. If you chill too long it will break rather than spread.
• Roll - Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll to a long rectangle of 7 x 18-inches.
• Fold - Open the butter block and divide it into 2 at the mark you created. Now you should have two - 6 x 6-inch blocks. Place one block over the center. Fold one side over. Then, place the second block on top and fold the other side over. Pro tip - Now you should have layers of dough, butter, dough, butter, dough - makes sense?
• Chill - Wrap the dough, place it on a baking sheet, and into the refrigerator - chill for 15 minutes.Pro tip - if the dough and butter are still cold when you wrap you can continue with the first fold. Also, in warm places, you may need more cooling time.
• Turn the dough - Roll the chilled pastry dough into a rectangle - with the short side facing you. Roll to a rectangle approximately 6 x 12-inches.
• First fold - Fold the dough lengthways into thirds like a business letter (see video). Wrap in plastic on a baking sheet and place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
• Second fold - Roll the dough lengthways again with the short side facing you - (see video) to about 6 x 12-inch long again. Fold the dough into thirds again like a business letter (see video). Place in the fridge for 30 minutes if necessary.
• Third fold - Roll the dough lengthways again with the short side facing you - (see video) to about 6 x 12-inch long again. Fold the dough into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
• Chill - After the third fold, chill in the fridge for at least two hours or until well chilled. This can be chilled for up to 48 hours.Pro tip- it is very important that the dough be well cold before using; otherwise, the folds will blend ruining all your effort.
• Divide - Roll the dough into a 6 x 12-inches rectangle. Divide into 2. Place one in the fridge while you work on the second one.Pro tip - you want to work in batches so the dough stays cold at all times. Also, it means you won't roll too thick.
• Rectangle - Roll the dough to about a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.Pro tip - it is very important that the dough is very chilled when you roll otherwise the butter can ooze out of the sides and you will not have a flaky pastry.
• Fill - Spread a generous amount of pastry cream over the dough making sure to get all the corners as well. Sprinkle the soaked and drained raisins. Roll the dough (like a jelly roll).Pro tip - this process is similar to making cinnamon rolls. If necessary chill the dough in the fridge again before slicing.
• Divide - Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices, (about 12). Cut half, then each half into half until you have 12 pieces. Place on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking tray
• Proof - Place on a baking tray and cover the pinwheels with a clean kitchen cloth - let poof for 45 minutes.
• Oven - Preheat the oven at 375°F/ 190°C / Gas Mark 5. Brush the pastry with a beaten egg.
• Bake - Bake in the hot oven for 20to 25 minutes until rich golden brown. Pro tip - if the pastries become too dark while baking, tent them with an aluminum foil.
• Glaze- Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 10 minutes. Then, using a pastry brush glaze them with the prepared apricot glaze. (below) Pro tip - if you brush while the pastry is very hot it will absorb all the glaze and become too sweet and you won't have that shiny appearance.
• Cool - Transfer to a cooling rack and cool them completely before storing. These pastries are best enjoyed on the day they are baked. But, they also freeze well for months.

SPIRAL RAISIN DANISHES

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Danish dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar and then sprinkle the raisins overtop. Roll up the dough and cut it into 12 pieces. Place the Danishes onto a parchment-lined baking tray, tucking each end of the spiral underneath. Cover the Danishes with a tea towel and leave to rise on the counter for 90 minutes - they will almost double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Brush the risen Danishes with eggwash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a rich golden brown. Allow the Danishes to cool for 20 minutes on the baking tray.
• To glaze the Danishes, melt the apricot jam or jelly in a small saucepot over medium-low heat (if using apricot jam, strain out the fruit pieces before using). Brush the jam or jelly over each Danish, let set for a minute and then serve.Note: The Danishes should be enjoyed the day they are baked.

DANISH DOUGH AND SPIRAL RAISIN DANISHES

Steps:

• 1-Danish Pastry Dough
• For the sponge, mix the water, yeast, and flour together by hand in a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer (fit it with the dough hook for the next step). Let this stand for 5 minutes.
• For the dough, add the all-purpose and cake & pastry flours to the sponge, along with the sugar, salt, and ¼ cup (60 g) of the butter. Mix this using electric beaters (with the hook attachments) or in the stand mixer on low speed until the flour is blended in, then increase the speed by one level and mix, adding the remaining 1 cup of butter pieces, a little at a time, until the dough feels elastic but most of the butter pieces are still visible about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow this dough to rise for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out and dust with a little flour. Roll the dough out to a rectangle about 18-inches (45 cm) long and 10-inches (25 cm) wide. Bring the two short ends of the dough to meet in the center, then fold the dough in half at the point where they meet (this is called the book fold). Chill the dough, covered, for just an hour.
• After the first hour, bring the dough out and roll it again into a rectangle 18-x-10-inches (45-x-25-cm), turn the dough over, and fold it into thirds. Cover and chill for an hour. Repeat this step again one more time, then cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
• 2-Spiral Raisin Danishes
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Danish dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar and then sprinkle the raisins overtop. Roll up the dough and cut it into 12 pieces. Place the Danishes onto a parchment-lined baking tray, tucking each end of the spiral underneath. Cover the Danishes with a tea towel and leave them to rise on the counter for 90 minutes - they will almost double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Brush the risen Danishes with egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a rich golden brown. Allow the Danishes to cool for 20 minutes on the baking tray.
• To glaze the Danishes, melt the apricot jam or jelly in a small saucepot over medium-low heat (if using apricot jam, strain out the fruit pieces before using). Brush the jam or jelly over each Danish, let sit for a minute, and then serve.

DANISH PASTRIES

Steps:

• Pulse together the dry ingredients plus 2 tsp salt in a processor, then pulse in the milk and egg, plus 100ml water, until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Knead for 1 min, using a little flour, until just smooth. Put into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr until doubled in size (overnight in the fridge if you like).
• Flour your surface, then pat the dough out to a rectangle, 1cm thick. Lay the butter slices out over the middle of the dough, in a rectangle. Fold the pastry over the top, bottom and then sides until the butter is completely hidden. Press the edges down.
• Roll the dough out to a 50 x 30cm rectangle, first tapping out the dough with the rolling pin in gentle ridges, so that you can tell the butter is being squashed out evenly inside the pastry, before rolling properly. Turn dough 90 degrees, then fold the right third over and the left third over that. Do this three times, chilling for 15 mins after each roll.
• Cut the dough in half, into 2 squares. Roll one piece of dough to 35 x 35cm. Cut into 9 squares, then follow the instructions below for each filling and shape. If you want to make more than one shape, it's easy to divide the filling quantity. Don't worry if your squares rise as you work, just roll them out a bit again.
• To make 18 pecan pinwheels, whizz 85g pecans until fine, then stir in 50g light muscovado, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 25g softened butter. Cut each square of pastry almost to the middle from each corner, spoon on 1 tsp filling, then fold each point over and press into the middle. Scatter more chopped pecans and a little sugar over before baking. Drizzle with a little maple syrup to serve.
• For 18 apricot custard turnovers, you will need 150g tub custard, 2 x 320g cans apricots and a few tsps apricot jam. Put 2 tsp custard in the middle, sit two apricot halves on top, dot with jam, then pull 2 corners over and pinch to seal.
• To make 18 raisin swirls, mix 50g raisins, 25g caster sugar, 1 tsp mixed spice and 50g soft butter. Instead of cutting the dough into 9, leave it whole and spread the filling over. Roll up, slice into 9 rounds, then squash each one. Blend 50g icing sugar and a few drops of water to drizzle over once baked.
• Once shaped and filled, let the pastries rise for 30 mins until puffed and doubled in size. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush with beaten egg, make sure you pinch any edges together again, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and risen.