16 danishes
Ingredients for Pastry Dough
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 teaspoon active dried yeast
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 1/3 cup of cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- Optional: 1/2 cup jam of choice, strawberry, peach and apricot are our favorite
Ingredients for Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 3 tablespoon of melted butter
Ingredients for Egg Wash
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoons water
Directions
Make the Pastry Dough: In a bowl of a stand mixer mix the 1 cup of warm milk, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 4 egg yolks, 2 tablespoon of sour cream, 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoon of dried active yeast, and 3 cups flour together on the 3rd speed of a mixer for about ten minutes.
Add butter & knead: Add 3/4 stick of softened butter to the dough mixture in quarters and knead for about 8 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the wall, and feels tacky to touch. If you stretch the dough, you should be able to form a thin film without it tearing.
Let rise: Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl (I used olive oil), then cover the outside of the dough with some oil as well (I used a brush to evenly spread it). This will keep it from cracking and drying as it rises. Cover the bowl with a hand towel. It is best to set the dough in a warm place (between 80°F-90°F). I turn the oven to 250°F for 3 minutes, then turn it off and set my bowl with dough inside the oven with the oven light on. Top of the refrigerator or any other warm, draft-free place will work as well. The dough should double in size in about 30 minutes. During that time, make the cream cheese filling, streusel topping and egg wash.
Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling: Whip together 1 1/3 cup of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Cover and set aside.
Make the streusel topping: Combine 1/3 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 3 tablespoon of melted butter with a fork or hands until crumbly. Refrigerate until later.
Make the egg wash: Whisk together with a fork 2 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and set aside.
Divide & shape the pastry dough. Once the dough is doubled (about 30 minutes), punch it down. Next, divide the pastry dough into 15-16 equal pieces. The most accurate way to do that is to weigh the dough, then divide the total by 16. (I shaped the dough into a long rectangle and then eye-balled it to make 16 pieces).
Shape each piece of dough into a ball by tucking the ends underneath itself until you get a smooth surface on top. Set the rolled danish buns on two 12″x18″ foil or parchment-lined baking sheets, evenly spacing each piece of dough with 8 buns on each baking sheet.
Let rest for 10 minutes, then dip the bottom of a glass or a cup into flour and press with it in the middle of each bun to form an indentation.
Fill with cream cheese filling: Use a medium ice cream scoop to fill each indentation with 1 scoop of cheesecake filling. Otherwise, just spoon the cream cheese filling with a regular spoon. If you would like to add some jam to the middle as well, use a teaspoon to spoon 1 teaspoon of jam or preserves in the middle of the cheesecake mixture.
Let rise until doubled: Put the baking pan with the filled danishes back into the oven (with the heat off, oven light on). The danishes should double in size in about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Brush with egg wash & top with streusel: Once the dough has doubled, brush the outside of the danishes with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with streusel pressing gently to adhere it if needed.
Bake: In a preheated to 350°F degrees oven for about 20 minutes, or until the outside is golden in color. Then, remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool slightly before enjoying.
Recipe originally found on Let the Baking Begin.
These pastries tasted like they came straight from a bakery! I definitely will be making them for our next family brunch!
Check the yeast: If you’re unsure if your yeast is fresh and active, combine the yeast with 2-3 tablespoons of the milk from the overall amount and 1 teaspoon of sugar from the overall amount. Stir to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Allow to proof for about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should rise and look frothy. If it does not, discard the yeast and do not start until you have good, active yeast.
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