This homemade Danish pastry recipe is made completely from scratch and rivals any pastries in a fancy bakery. Fill with cream cheese, fruit, chocolate, lemon curd, or any combination of your favorite flavors for the ultimate Danish breakfast pastries.
Make the Dough: Cut ½ tablespoon off the ends of each of the four sticks of butter (for a total of 2 tablespoons).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the 2 tablespoons cold butter and work it in with a pastry blender or your fingers until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla, milk, and eggs.
Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until a dough begins to form, then switch to the dough hook and knead until a cohesive, but quite sticky dough forms, about 5 to 7 minutes. The dough won't completely clean the bowl and will stick a bit at the bottom. (You can also complete this step in a bread machine on the dough cycle.)
Scrape the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a floured work surface. Cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the butter.
Make the Butter Block: Cut each stick of butter in half lengthwise, to make 8 long rectangles. On a piece of floured parchment or plastic wrap, line up 4 of the butter pieces side by side, to form a rectangle. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap.
Gently pound and roll the butter until it's about 6" x 9". The pieces may or may not meld together.
Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of butter. You should now have two butter rectangles, about 6" x 9" each.
Laminate the Dough: Roll the dough into a rectangle 12" wide x 24" long. Place one of the butter pieces onto the center third of the dough. Fold one side over the butter to cover it. Place the other butter piece atop the folded-over dough, and fold the remaining dough up over it. Pinch the open ends and side closed.
Turn the dough so a 12" side is closest to you. Roll the dough into a 10" x 24" rectangle. Fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangular packet about 6" x 10".
Dust the surface of the dough with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and again roll it into a rectangle about 10" x 24". Fold it into a packet as you did in step #9; it'll be about 7" x 12". Roll one final time, fold into a packet, and flour the dough lightly. Wrap loosely (but completely) in plastic, and chill it for at least 2 hours, or up to 16 hours.
Make the Cheese Filling (if using): Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.
Assemble the Pastries: When you're ready to make pastries, remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and cut off one-third. You'll work with this piece first; re-wrap and return the remainder to the refrigerator.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls into 3" to 3 1/2" rounds, making the center thinner than the edges. You want to build up a slight wall of dough all around the circumference; this will help hold the filling. Place the rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Working with one-half of the remaining dough at a time, repeat the process; you'll finish with three baking sheets, each with 12 dough rounds.
Cover the Danish lightly with greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for about 1 hour; they'll become slightly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Use your fingers to press the centers of the dough rounds as flat as possible, leaving the "sidewalls" puffed. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the well of each round.
Make the Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water. Brush the exposed edges of the pastries with the egg wash.
Bake the Pastries: Bake the pastries, one pan at a time, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and milk to make a "drizzlable" glaze. If the glaze is too thick, add just a splash more milk at a time until the correct consistency is reached.
Drizzle the glaze atop the pastries. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Use very cool butter. Make sure the butter is extremely cold when you make the butter block. Even slightly warm butter won't work into the dough. If the butter blocks seem too soft once they're shaped, pop them into the refrigerator to firm up before continuing with the lamination process.
This can be a two-day recipe. Don't feel you need to rush through this recipe in one afternoon. You can tackle this recipe in one day or split it into a more manageable two-day project. Simply leave the laminated dough in the refrigerator overnight and continue assembling and baking the next day.
Use different shapes. Feel free to experiment with different shapes of dough. As mentioned above, I had the most consistent success with circular Danishes, but trying something new is always fun!
Enjoy right away. Baked Danish pastries are best enjoyed the same day they are made for optimal flakiness and freshness. However, they keep well in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze the Dough: If you'd like to freeze all or part of the Danish pastry dough before assembling and filling, follow the recipe through Step #11. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then wrap the portion of dough you want to freeze in two layers of plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Freeze Assembled Pastries: To freeze assembled, unbaked pastries, follow the recipe through Step #17 (filling the pastries). Place pastries on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until they are completely frozen through, at least 3 hours. Transfer the pastries to an airtight container or freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen (don't forget the egg wash!), adding an extra 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time.
Freeze Baked Danishes: To freeze baked Danish pastries, allow them to cool completely to room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in an airtight container or freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutritional values are based on one cheese Danish.