HOW TO MAKE DANISH PASTRY RECIPES

Steps:

• Pulse together the dry ingredients plus 2 tsp salt in a processor, then pulse in the milk and egg, plus 100ml water, until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Knead for 1 min, using a little flour, until just smooth. Put into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr until doubled in size (overnight in the fridge if you like).
• Flour your surface, then pat the dough out to a rectangle, 1cm thick. Lay the butter slices out over the middle of the dough, in a rectangle. Fold the pastry over the top, bottom and then sides until the butter is completely hidden. Press the edges down.
• Roll the dough out to a 50 x 30cm rectangle, first tapping out the dough with the rolling pin in gentle ridges, so that you can tell the butter is being squashed out evenly inside the pastry, before rolling properly. Turn dough 90 degrees, then fold the right third over and the left third over that. Do this three times, chilling for 15 mins after each roll.
• Cut the dough in half, into 2 squares. Roll one piece of dough to 35 x 35cm. Cut into 9 squares, then follow the instructions below for each filling and shape. If you want to make more than one shape, it's easy to divide the filling quantity. Don't worry if your squares rise as you work, just roll them out a bit again.
• To make 18 pecan pinwheels, whizz 85g pecans until fine, then stir in 50g light muscovado, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 25g softened butter. Cut each square of pastry almost to the middle from each corner, spoon on 1 tsp filling, then fold each point over and press into the middle. Scatter more chopped pecans and a little sugar over before baking. Drizzle with a little maple syrup to serve.
• For 18 apricot custard turnovers, you will need 150g tub custard, 2 x 320g cans apricots and a few tsps apricot jam. Put 2 tsp custard in the middle, sit two apricot halves on top, dot with jam, then pull 2 corners over and pinch to seal.
• To make 18 raisin swirls, mix 50g raisins, 25g caster sugar, 1 tsp mixed spice and 50g soft butter. Instead of cutting the dough into 9, leave it whole and spread the filling over. Roll up, slice into 9 rounds, then squash each one. Blend 50g icing sugar and a few drops of water to drizzle over once baked.
• Once shaped and filled, let the pastries rise for 30 mins until puffed and doubled in size. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush with beaten egg, make sure you pinch any edges together again, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and risen.

Steps:

• Place sugar, butter, the egg, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Mix only to incorporate, then add ¾ of the flour and yeast, and mix for two minutes until you have a dough.
• Place the remaining flour on a working surface, then place the dough on the flour and knead for 3-4 minutes until you've worked in all of the flour into the dough.
• Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with cling film and store in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle which should be two times longer than it is wide, somewhat like a wide band.
• Shred the ice cold butter directly on one half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the one with butter, and pinch the edges together.
• Press down on the dough a bit, sprinkle it with flour, and then gently roll it. You want it to be twice as long as it is wide.
• Fold the dough three times as follows — fold one-third of the dough, so it covers the middle part of the dough, then fold a third of the dough from the other side over the two layers of dough. Roll out into a rectangle, and repeat the folding and rolling two more times. Optionally, for better results, you may leave the dough to rest and cool down in between. Take care that when you fold the dough the last time you end up with a wide, long strip of dough
• Make cuts at a 45° angle along each side of the dough, so you end up with 1.5-2 cm wide slanting strips of dough. Make sure not to cut the center part of the dough because that is where the remonce filling will go.
• Mix the ingredients for the remonce filling in a small bowl, then spread it on the center part of the dough, taking care that both ends of the dough strip are uncovered. Start braiding the dough. Fold the ends and the sides one over the other.
• Place the braid on a buttered and floured baking tray. Cover the tray and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, set the oven to preheat to 200°C. Brush the braid with an egg wash (1 egg+1 tbsp of milk), then sprinkle it generously with sugar. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.