My Danish Pastry Recipe

When I make pastries, I usually double the recipe and 1 1/2 times the cream filling and double the crumb mixture. The below recipe as is will make exactly 12 pastries. They freeze well, and Scotts family usually saves one for Easter.



Basic Dough
2 C butter
4 C warm milk
1 1/2 C Sugar
4 T yeast
2 T sugar
2 t salt
4 eggs
12 Cups flour (it takes more, keep adding a little bit at a time until you can barely handle the dough without it sticking to your hands as your mix). Iusually will used 1 bag of flour that is 4.25 lbs.
Method
Place butter and sugar in four quart mixing bowl, pour heated milk over it. Let stand while you mix yeast with 1 C warm water and 2 sugar. Sir and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add eggs to yeast and other mixture. Add salt and sifted flour. Beat together, no kneeding. Cover with cloth and let raise for 1 ½ hours in warm place. Punch down and let raise for 45 minutes. Roll and shape as desired. After shaping let raise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes for smaller cakes and 25 minutes for larger cakes. Makes 7 dozen cinnamon rolls or 12 pastries.

Cream Filling
3 C milk
3 egg yolk (save whites for glaze later on)
3/4 t salt
1 C sugar
6 T flour
1 T vanilla
scant 1/2 C oatmeal that has been blended in the blender or processor.
Blend sugar, and milk, when boiling sir a little milk mixture into beaten egg yolk. Blend together and cook 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool. To avoid scorching the filling heat it to a boil in a double boiler, or as I do the microwave. When cool add oatmeal to thicken filling so it doesn't run out the sides.


Almond Filling
1 C butter
1 1/2 C sugar
4 t almond extract.
Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Glaze
Beat 1 egg white, brush pastry with it. Sprinkle crumble mixture on top.

Crumble Mixture
1 C butter
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 C finely chopped walnuts
Crumble together until very well mixed.

Icing
2 lb of powdered sugar
Hot water
Almond extract to taste
Mix enough water into powdered sugar until it is thin enough to glaze over pastry. Dribble this icing while the pastry is warm.

This will make 12 small pastries. Divide dough into parts. Roll out dough into rectangle. Spread cream filling in a thin layer. Drop almond filling by small half teaspoons on top of cream filling.

At each side of filling make cuts 2” apart, making cuts 2” long into the dough, making sure that there are the same amount of strips on both sides. Lace strips, tuck ends underneath. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with glaze then sprinkle crumble mix on top. Bake. While still warm drizzle with icing. Decorate with cherries and pecans.