How to make Danish Pastry

By Sugar Salt Magic · 300 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Put the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes, then grate it into a large bowl and keep it loose, not pressed down.
2. Warm half a cup of the milk until just warm to the touch, about 40°C (not hot). Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar and all the yeast, then leave for 10 minutes until frothy. If it does not foam, the yeast is dead and you must start again with fresh yeast.
3. Add the flour, the remaining sugar and the salt to the cold grated butter and toss lightly to coat. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the pieces are about the size of lentils. Don't let the butter melt; if the room is warm, chill the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
4. Whisk the remaining half cup of milk and the egg into the yeast mixture, then pour it over the dry ingredients.
5. Mix with a spoon or spatula until you have a very rough, sticky dough.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
7. Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and shape it into a simple rectangle.
8. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 6 mm (¼ inch) thick, roughly 27 cm x 45 cm. Fold it in thirds like a letter: top third over the middle, then bottom third over that.
9. Repeat the roll and fold 3 more times, for 4 in total. The dough will get tighter on the last fold, so it may not reach 6 mm; that's fine. Add only a touch of flour if it sticks.
10. Chill the dough for 1 to 2 hours before shaping it into pastries.

Summarized from Sugar Salt Magic's video. Watch it for the details.