Processor Danish Pastry
Why I Love This Recipe
This is a lovely recipe by Nigella Lawson. It takes time but is not labor intensive. It's advised to start the night before you plan on using the pastry.
Ingredients You'll Need
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk at room temp
1 large egg at room temp
2 1/4 cups white bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, sliced...cold
Directions
In a measuring cup mix together the water and milk. Add the egg and beat with a fork to combine. Set aside.
Put the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into your food processor. Pulse for a second to combine. Add the butter and pulse for a couple of seconds until the butter is cut into the flour mixture with visible chunks.
Pour the contents of the food processor into a large mixing bowl and pour the egg mixture into the bowl. Fold the ingredients together until just combined....you don't want to over do it.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and store in your fridge overnight. (You can actually store it up to 4 days.)
The following morning remove the bowl from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Lightly flour your surface and dump the dough in the middle. roll the dough out to about 18 - 20 inches.
Fold your dough the way you do a letter....into thirds
Turn the dough so that the folded edge is on your left (like a book) and roll it out to 18 - 20 inches again. Repeat this process 3 times.
Cut the dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. You can freeze the dough at this point for later use if you desire.
Take your pastry (one sheet at a time...leaving the other sheet in the fridge). Unfold the pastry and roll it into a rectangle...not much.
Size isn't specified but since it's going to make 6 Danishes, I had the height 2/3rds the length. Then I cut it half, length wise and then into thirds height wise, so that I ended up with 6 squares. My squares were a bit of a mess so I trimmed them a bit
Fill each square with a tablespoon of your favorite filling.
Fold up the corners. I only folded two opposite ends but you can do all 4 if you'd like. Pinch the corners together and place onto a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper
Brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk). Let them rise for about 1 1/2 hrs, or until they have doubled in size
About an hour into the rise time, preheat your oven to 350'F.
Just before baking, check to see if you need to pinch the corners together again
Place them in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes....until nice and golden brown
Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little
Mix together a little clear glaze....1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Brush the Danishes with the glaze to make them all pretty and shiny.
Enjoy