This recipe was so much fun to make! I knew as soon as I saw it on all the baking blogs that I wanted to give it a try. My boyfriend and I planned a camping trip, and I figured Danish Bread would make for the perfect camp breakfast. The prep work is time consuming, but it’s not hard at all and I think any baking novice with a little extra time on his or her hands could handle it. After two days of preparation, I finally baked the loaves and was very impressed with the results. The apple cinnamon loaf came out perfectly, however I managed to make a big mess with the cherry cheesecake as it turned out very juicy. Most of the juice disappeared during baking though, so the final product was fine. We brought both loaves with us, and my boyfriend had the brilliant idea to toast the pieces over an open fire. They were amazing!
Original recipe from How to Eat A Cupcake (She includes helpful step by step picture instructions)
DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough (Enough for TWO braids)
Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup water
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t salt
For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter (I used light butter)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and water and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.
BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I used regular beater attachments) and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids
Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 – 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
CHERRY FILLING (recipe from cooksrecipes.com)
Makes enough for 1 braid; Can be made a few days in advance.
Ingredients
4 cups Bing cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted (I used frozen cherries)
1 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, stir and let sit for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Drain off and reserve cherry syrup.
Combine a small amount of syrup to cornstarch to make a paste, then whisk cornstarch paste back into syrup. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Stir in the drained cherries and almond extract. Cool, and store in a sterilized, airtight container.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
Makes enough for 1 braid; Make right before you’re ready to assemble the braid.
Ingredients
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat cream cheese)
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar into a bowl and mix until well combined. Stir in vanilla. Save egg white to brush on top of the braid.
DANISH BRAID
Divide your Danish dough into 2 equal sections. Save the other half for another braid or other Danish pastries.
1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick (Mine was 1/4 inch thick, but a few inches smaller than 15×20). If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart (My cuts were less than 5 inches long). Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.
4. Whisk the egg white from the cream cheese filling and lightly brush it on the top of the braid. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours (I preheated my oven to 200 degrees F, let it cool until just warm, then put the dough inside), or until doubled in volume and light to the touch .
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.
Makes 10 servings.
Nutritional Info (For Cherry Cheese Version):
Calories: 204.6
Total Fat: 7.9 g
Cholesterol: 64.8 mg
Sodium: 147.9 mg
Total Carbs: 29.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 5.4 g
