Danish Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter
• 2 packages or ½ ounce dry active yeast
• ½ cup warm water (not above 110 degrees)
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs (room temperature and beaten slightly)
• ¼ cup sugar

1. Measure four cups flour into a bowl or work bowl of food processor with steel blade in place. Cut the butter into quarter-inch slices and add to the flour. Process or cut the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of kidney beans.
2. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand five minutes. Stir in the cream or milk, cinnamon, salt, beaten eggs, and sugar.
3. Turn the flour, butter mixture into the liquid ingredients. With a rubber spatula mix carefully just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate four hours, overnight, or up to four days.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board; dust with flour. Pound and flatten to make a 16- to 20-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds and make three layers. Turn dough around and roll out again. Fold from the short sides into thirds. This should result in a perfect square. Repeat folding and rolling again if you wish. I did this step three times to get good layers.
5. Wrap and chill the dough 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

APPLE FILLING

(You can use pie filling if wanting to skip this step.)

• 5-6 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon clove
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ cup orange juice (Optional: zest one Orange and use ½ to juice.)

1. Toss all ingredients together.
2. In a Medium/Large pot, on medium/high heat, stir frequently until gooey and apples are softened (It should not be runny.)
3. Let cool to room temperature or you can chill overnight.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 8 ounces cream cheese, soft or room temperature
• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Beat all ingredients together until soft and fluffy.

To make the Danish Braid:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease and flour them.
3. Divide the chilled dough into
4. two parts.
5. Roll each part out to make a rectangle, 12 by six inches.
6. Place these strips on the prepared baking sheets.
7. Take a fourth cup of almond paste (optional). Make a snake shape and place down center of the braid, two inches from each end.
8. Then spread cream cheese filling down the length of the center of the strips.
9. Last, top the cream with the cooled apple filling.
10. Cut slanting strips at three-fourth-inch intervals along both sides up toward the center using a pastry wheel. Fold strips over the filling in a crisscross manner
11. Let strips rise for 20 to 30 minutes, just until the pastry strips look puffy; they will not double.
12. To make a glaze, beat the egg with the milk or water.
13. Brush the pastry lightly with glaze.
14. Sprinkle sugar and/or sliced almonds over the top.
15. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden and sides are not wet.

Optional: mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and water to make a glaze to drizzle after danish is cooled or your can drizzle caramel sauce over top.

**Original Danish Recipe by Beatrice Ojakangas from her book HOMEMADE, Copyright 2016, with edits by Candice Sheppard**

This dish is available at High Rise Bakery every Thursday through December 2020.

Pastry Chef Candice Sheppard

Chef Candice attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program graduating in 2008 with an Associates Degree in Baking and Pastry. She then worked with Bon Appetite Management Company, and helped open (SLAM) St Louis Art Museum’s Panorama Restaurant, before becoming the pastry chef of High Rise Bakery.

HIGH RISE BAKERY

118 E. High St., JCMO | 573-616-2484
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sat.–Sun. 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.