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How to Make Danish Pastry Recipe

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  • Author: Lily
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes (for baking final pastries, not including dough refrigeration)
  • Total Time: 10 hours 30 minutes (including chilling time)
  • Yield: 24 servings
  • Category: Bakery/Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Danish
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This Danish Pastry recipe guides you through creating tender, flaky laminated dough infused with cold butter and a yeast-based dough. The dough is carefully rolled and folded multiple times to create delicate layers, then chilled to develop flavor and texture. Perfect for making classic lemon or custard Danish pastries at home, this recipe takes patience and love, yielding 24 servings of buttery, buttery treats.

Ingredients

Dairy & Yeast

  • 1 cup whole milk, cold (250ml)
  • ½ cup whole milk, warmed (for yeast activation)
  • 226 g unsalted butter, full fat, coarsely grated and very cold (1 cup / 2 sticks / 8oz)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 sachet / 8g)

Dry Ingredients

  • 390 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (3 cups / ~13¾oz)
  • ⅓ cup white granulated sugar (66g / ~2⅓oz), divided
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Butter: Grate the cold butter into a large bowl without pressing it down, leaving it loose. Place it in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes if needed to keep cold and firm.
  2. Activate the Yeast: Warm ½ cup of milk until lukewarm (about 40°C). Mix in 1 tablespoon sugar and the yeast, then let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy. If it doesn’t froth, the yeast is bad and you must restart.
  3. Combine Butter and Dry Ingredients: Add flour, remaining sugar, and salt to the chilled grated butter. Toss lightly to coat. Using fingertips or a pastry cutter, gently cut butter into flour until pieces are lentil-sized, ensuring butter does not melt. Chill if too warm.
  4. Mix Wet Ingredients: Whisk the remaining ½ cup of milk and the egg into the activated yeast mixture until well combined.
  5. Make the Dough: Pour the wet mixture into the butter and flour bowl. Stir gently with a spoon or spatula just until a rough, sticky dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
  6. Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours to develop flavor and texture.
  7. Shape the Dough: Turn chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface, form into a simple rectangle without adding excess flour to avoid dryness.
  8. Roll and Fold: Roll the dough out to a 6mm (¼ inch) thick rectangle roughly 27cm x 45cm. Fold it letter-style in thirds, folding top third over the middle third, then the bottom third over that.
  9. Repeat Lamination: Repeat the roll and fold process three more times (four times total), ending with a smoother, tighter dough. Use minimal flour if sticking, but avoid over-flouring.
  10. Rest the Dough: Chill the dough for 1 to 2 hours to relax before shaping into Danish pastries.
  11. Prepare Pastries: Use this laminated dough to make lemon or custard Danish pastries by shaping and filling as desired. Follow baking instructions in notes for temperature and time.

Notes

  • Use full-fat unsalted butter for optimal flavor and layering; avoid light or low-fat versions.
  • The yeast must be fresh and active for proper leavening; proof it with warm milk and sugar.
  • Keep butter cold throughout to ensure flaky layers develop.
  • When rolling and folding, don’t add excessive flour to prevent dry dough.
  • Baking suggestion: Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and bake pastries for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and puffed.

Find it online: https://dishmelt.com/how-to-make-danish-pastry-recipe/