Danish Pastry Dough

This pastry is brilliant.

I used cardamom in the dough, which made this pastry smell heavenly while being made and tasted even better once baked with some goodies.

Recipes on my Blog:

- Raspberry Danish - This dough makes two full braids

- Frøsnapper - This dough makes 45-55 twists

Ingredients:

454 grams unsalted butter (4 sticks) - very cold

659 grams flour

4 teaspoons instant yeast

2 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla

227 grams milk - cold

76 - 113 grams water - lukewarm

2 large eggs

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Cut Some Butter

There will be about 454 grams of unsalted butter used in this recipe. For this first step though, cut 1/2 a tablespoon of butter (1/4 inch). This is prep for steps 3 and steps 6.

All four sticks should be the same length and placed back in the fridge until needed for step 6.

The 1/2 tablespoon off each butter block should make up 2 tablespoons of butter and can be left out until needed in step 3.

DO NOT: just cut 2 tablespoons off one stick, this will screw up step 6.

- Step 2 - Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl mix 659 grams of flour, 4 teaspoons of instant yeast, 2 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of cardamom until well mixed.

That cardamom should be well mixed, it should not be in one spot.

- Step 3 - Rub in 2 Tablespoons Worth of Butter

Break the 2 tablespoons of butter that was cut off in step 1 into the dry ingredients.

Use your hands to rub the flour and butter together. There should not be any clumps of butter left in the flour mixture.

- Step 4 - Add Liquid Ingredients

Once the dry ingredients are well mixed add the wet ingredients: 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 227 grams of cold milk, 76 grams of lukewarm water, and 2 large eggs.

Once the dough starts to clump, add some flour to the counter and poor the crumbly dough on top.

Knead the dough until it starts to form a ball, but do not knead too hard because we are not creating a bread.

If the dough seems to be too dry add a little more water, but if the dough seems to be too wet and sticky where it is too hard to handle, add more flour.

The dough should not be too sticky where you can't handle it, but just slightly sticky and easy to handle.

- Step 5 - Wrap Dough in Plastic Wrap

Wrap the prepped dough in plastic wrap and let rise on the counter for 10 minutes while the butter is prepped.

- Step 6 - Prep Butter

Cut the remaining butter in half lengthwise.

Place 4 of the halves next to each other on a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Place another piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper over top the 4 halves.

Take a rolling pin and roll the butter out into a thin 6 inch by 9 inch rectangle.

It does not need to be perfect, but an estimate.

Once the first rectangle of butter is rolled out, place it in the fridge, then start on the second 4 halves.

Wait until both butter slabs are cooled down and hardened slightly.

- Step 7 - Roll Out Dough

As the butter is cooling, roll the ball of dough out to a large rectangle that is about 12 inches by 24 inches.

The dough needs to be wide and long to be able to fold both slabs of butter into the middle.

- Step 8 - Fold in First Section of Butter

Place the first section of butter 1/3 of the way in on the left side of the dough to be able to fold the left side of the dough over the butter.

I did not give enough room to fold over the butter, so I had to stretch my dough. Not ideal, but I still was able to make it to work.

- Step 9 - Fold in Second Section of Butter

Place the second slap of butter on top of the first slab of butter that has been covered by the dough.

Fold the dough over the top of the second slab of butter and seal the butter inside by pinching the dough closed.

- Step 10 - Roll Out Dough

Roll the dough out until it makes a large rectangle about 10 inches by 24 inches (does not have to be exact).

- Step 11 - Fold Dough (Book Fold)

Fold both the left side and right side into the middle of the dough (book fold).

Fold the dough in half, as if closing the book.

- Step 12 - Refrigerate

Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes to rest.

- Step 13 - Roll and Fold and Refrigerate

Flour the counter to help the dough not stick.

Repeat steps 10-12 again.

- Step 14 - Roll and Fold

Repeat steps 10-11 one last time and loosely wrap the dough in plastic wrap to give it room to grow.

Leave in the fridge for 4 hours or up to a few days. (Overnight is the best length of time).

- Step 15 - Refrigerate Until Needed

Once refrigerated, use the dough to make some delicious dreamy goodies.

Found the recipe on "King Arthur Flour's" website, which saved my butt and also was one of the only danish dough recipes I found that had cardamom.

I will never make this dough without cardamom.