Processor Danish Pastry

Oh, that Nigella…getting under my skin, that’s what she is. How dare she write about Danish pastries and expect me not to make some?! Seriously…

It’ s the second recipe I tried from How to be a domestic goddess and it’s definitely a keeper. The dough came out just a bit too bready, but it could be that I messed up somewhere in the process, cause it can’t be Nigella, right?

What’s revolutionary about this recipe is that it’s done entirely in the food processor, thus making it easier and less time-consuming. Don’t think that you’ re cheating by taking the fast track because, according to Nigella, that’s how it’s been done these days all over Denmark.

For the dough:

For the egg glaze:

For the clear glaze:

For the sugar glaze:

Pour the water and milk into a measuring cup and add the egg, beating with a fork to mix. Put to one side for a moment. Get out a large bowl, then put the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the procesor, and give one quick whizz just to mix. Add the cold slices of butter and process briefly so that the butter is cut up a little, though you still want visible chunks. Empty the contents of the food processor into the large bowl and quickly add the contents of the cup. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together, but don’t overdo it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, put in the refigerator, and leave overnight or up to 4 days.

To turn it into pastry, take it out of the refrigerator, let it get to room temperature, and roll it out to a 20-inch (50 cm) square.  Fold the dough square into thirds, like a business letter, turning it afterward so that the closed fold is on your left, like the spine of a book.  Roll out again to a 20-inch square, repeating the steps above three more times.

Now that you’ve made the dough, you’re probably wondering what to do with it. Nigella suggests filling the pastry with almond filling or cheese. I kept mine simple and just filled it with plain apricot preserve.  To do that, cut the rolled out pastry into thirds horizontally. Then cut it half down the middle, giving you 6 squares. Take each square and put a tablespoon of preserve ( or your favorite filling ). Bring up the opposite corners and pinch together.

Place on the baking sheet and brush with the egg glaze. Leave them to rise until they double in size and feel like marshmallow.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cook for 15 minutes or until golden.

Remove to a wire rack and make the two remaining glazes. To make the clear glaze, heat the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then take off the heat. To make the sugar glaze, add the water to the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time to make a runny icing. Brush the pastries with the clear glaze first then zigzag the sugar glaze over them.