Danish Pastries /Sweet Danish Pastries / Denmark Special/ Apricot turnovers/

As part of the 3rd day of our mega marathon, I am taking you to a place which I have visited a couple of times but I distinctively remember the first visit. I was stranded at the airport due to the visa issues. I was pretty much the Tom Hanks from "The terminal" for a night until I could proceed to Stockholm. Although my experience was not as adventurous as his and I pretty much enjoyed my stay at the airport hotel - Radisson. My next visit I ensured I was let in to the beautiful city of Copenhagen.

But more than the city of country I want to talk about the beautiful danish pastries that rule the bakery shelfs around the world. 


Before we move the recipe, I would urge you all to make this on a lazy weekend when you have all your creative juices boiling up. This is a fun activity and no matter how many you make even the one's with no sweet tooth fixtures will come buzzing like bees.






Ingredients
3.5 cups APF/ bread flour if you have
1 tbsp corn starch
2 1/4 tspn active yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
1.5 cups skimmed milk (luke warm)
100 gm butter / 1stick

Fillings
Pinwheels
1 tbsp honey
1 cup black raisins 
2 tspn sugar
1 pinch of cinnamon powder

Custard turnovers
10 dried apricots
2 tbsp custard sauce (use custard powder and follow instructions to make thick version)
jam to garnish

Other fillings
Chocolate sauce (nutella)
jam and fruits
peaches and pears mixture in sugar syrup

Method

1) Get the ingredients and keep them at room temperature. The butter should not be soft by the time you use it but should not sweat either. So keep place it on counter top while you are working with the dough.
2) In a large bowl, mix the bread flour, corn starch, yeast, sugar and gradually add the milk to make a soft , not to sticky not to stiff dough. Add salt if you like, I used salted butter so skipped it
3) Cover and set the dough aside for 30 min. I used instant yeast so it was good to double the dough
4) Now, knead the dough until it is manageable about 5 min. Flour the surface and roll it out in a rectangular shape. Not too thin about 1/4 inch in thickness
5) Take the butter and dot the dough with small cubes. Try to place the butter cubes away from the edges. Cover only half of the rolled out sheet with butter. Fold over the other half. I usually dot in the centre and fold over from both sides. Seal the edges
6) Now with firm hands swiftly roll out the rectangle from the longer side vertically to form a bigger rectangle.
7) Again fold over from both sides and repeat this rolling over. If the dough becomes sticky, place it in refrigerator for 10 min each time. Repeat this rolling out for atleast 8 to 10 times. Between 2 rolls ensure you refrigerate for 10 min each time
8) The douogh is now ready for the pastries.

9) Take smaller portions and make your patterns.

10) For pinwheels. Roll the dough flat. Spread the based with the filling ingredients, starting with honey at the base, then sprinkle with raisins and sugar. Make a tight roll out of it. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 20 min
11) Cut out pinwheels and bake them







12 ) For custard turnovers, you can roll out small rectangles. Place thecustard in the centre. Place the apricots on two sides Seal the diagonal ends in the centre on side. Place jam of your choice in the centre.
Brush the top with milk and jam 





Bake the pastries in a preheated oven at 180c for 12 to 15 min. 

Serve hot or cold




Check the savory version here...




Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

Comments

Wow! That is quite an array of pastries you have put together. You can see the effort put into it. Must have made a delicious breakfast.
Priya Suresh said…
Recently i tried Danish pastries at home and we loved it, can see many beautiful pastries here.
Unknown said…
Wow each and every puff look so delicious..
Srivalli said…
So many Pradnya!!..I want them all..everything has turned out so well..great efforts girl!
Usha said…
Mouthwatering spread of pastries! I can have some for breakfast right now.
Harini R said…
Kudos to your patience Pradnya. Lovely array of cookies!
Chef Mireille said…
what a spread - I remember well the variety of pastries we always had at breakfast when I went on a trip to Denmark several years ago
Pavani said…
Love Danish pastries any time. So flaky & yumm!! Great job there Pradnya -- what a lovely spread :-)
Wow ! So cute looking pastries ! Lovely...
Padmajha said…
Wow! You made so many varieties! Awesome Yaar!
Archana said…
Wow that is quite a spread you have here Pradnya. Love them all. But have to taste them... you get my drift?
Unknown said…
Those are yummy looking pastries.. Yum

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