Danish Dough

[JohnDB]

Tonight or tomorrow night I'm going to try to make some Danish Dough.

For those curious....it's what is referred to as a laminated dough. Just like croissant dough or puff pastry dough but in this case enriched with eggs and leavened by yeast.
Classically speaking it is also lightly flavored with cardamom.

Then all sorts of designs are created by twists, braids, and folds...patterns can be abundantly found everywhere.

I'm going to give it a try after 30 years since my last batch was made...

Might be a collosal fail...but maybe not. We shall see what happens.
I've written a recipe for my use. (Couldn't find what I wanted already written)

AP Flour isn't exactly the same in the South as in other parts of the country...up North there's a bit more bread flour in the mix than in the South due to the prevalence of more winter wheat (bread flour wheat) is grown there than in the Southern states.
A good 50/50 blend is what is ideal and the All Purpose flour is usually 60/40...which part is 60 and what is 40 is dependent upon the Mason Dixon line. In the South...the 60 is usually Cookie/Cake flour where up North the 60 is Bread Flour.

The South makes a lot of biscuits. (Quickbreads) and the north makes a variety of breads in history... because that's the wheat that would grow locally.

So I'm aiming to adjust this just a bit for a more standard dough. I need the gluten for yeast gas capture and lamination construction stability. I don't want chewy, tough layers either. The eggs for enrichment also have protein. The butter is going to be unsalted. And good Danish literally stinks of butter.
So good quality butter is a must for this.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Sounds interesting but what's cardamom? I never heard of it before.

 

[Truthfrees]

Tonight or tomorrow night I'm going to try to make some Danish Dough.

For those curious....it's what is referred to as a laminated dough. Just like croissant dough or puff pastry dough but in this case enriched with eggs and leavened by yeast.
Classically speaking it is also lightly flavored with cardamom.

Then all sorts of designs are created by twists, braids, and folds...patterns can be abundantly found everywhere.

I'm going to give it a try after 30 years since my last batch was made...

Might be a collosal fail...but maybe not. We shall see what happens.
I've written a recipe for my use. (Couldn't find what I wanted already written)

AP Flour isn't exactly the same in the South as in other parts of the country...up North there's a bit more bread flour in the mix than in the South due to the prevalence of more winter wheat (bread flour wheat) is grown there than in the Southern states.
A good 50/50 blend is what is ideal and the All Purpose flour is usually 60/40...which part is 60 and what is 40 is dependent upon the Mason Dixon line. In the South...the 60 is usually Cookie/Cake flour where up North the 60 is Bread Flour.

The South makes a lot of biscuits. (Quickbreads) and the north makes a variety of breads in history... because that's the wheat that would grow locally.

So I'm aiming to adjust this just a bit for a more standard dough. I need the gluten for yeast gas capture and lamination construction stability. I don't want chewy, tough layers either. The eggs for enrichment also have protein. The butter is going to be unsalted. And good Danish literally stinks of butter.
So good quality butter is a must for this.

made this last night - the key is stretching the dough to be paper thin before rolling it- almost see through like onion paper

Malawach (Yemenite Jewish Pancakes) Recipe on Food52

This recipe for malawach, or Yemenite Jewish pancakes, are prepared without oil or eggs, just lots of butter, spread liberally, creating a laminated dough as it's folded.

food52.com

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds interesting but what's cardamom? I never heard of it before.

It's a spice that's good in a wide variety of foods. It's usually reserved for sweeter foods.

 

[JohnDB]

made this last night - the key is stretching the dough to be paper thin before rolling it- almost see through like onion paper

Malawach (Yemenite Jewish Pancakes) Recipe on Food52

This recipe for malawach, or Yemenite Jewish pancakes, are prepared without oil or eggs, just lots of butter, spread liberally, creating a laminated dough as it's folded.

food52.com

Good stuff...I miss Jewish bakeries in NY.

 

[GodsGrace]

Tonight or tomorrow night I'm going to try to make some Danish Dough.

For those curious....it's what is referred to as a laminated dough. Just like croissant dough or puff pastry dough but in this case enriched with eggs and leavened by yeast.
Classically speaking it is also lightly flavored with cardamom.

Then all sorts of designs are created by twists, braids, and folds...patterns can be abundantly found everywhere.

I'm going to give it a try after 30 years since my last batch was made...

Might be a collosal fail...but maybe not. We shall see what happens.
I've written a recipe for my use. (Couldn't find what I wanted already written)

AP Flour isn't exactly the same in the South as in other parts of the country...up North there's a bit more bread flour in the mix than in the South due to the prevalence of more winter wheat (bread flour wheat) is grown there than in the Southern states.
A good 50/50 blend is what is ideal and the All Purpose flour is usually 60/40...which part is 60 and what is 40 is dependent upon the Mason Dixon line. In the South...the 60 is usually Cookie/Cake flour where up North the 60 is Bread Flour.

The South makes a lot of biscuits. (Quickbreads) and the north makes a variety of breads in history... because that's the wheat that would grow locally.

So I'm aiming to adjust this just a bit for a more standard dough. I need the gluten for yeast gas capture and lamination construction stability. I don't want chewy, tough layers either. The eggs for enrichment also have protein. The butter is going to be unsalted. And good Danish literally stinks of butter.
So good quality butter is a must for this.

John,,,could you please speak a little more about how flour is made and the percentages, etc.? I've never heard of this before.

Also, have you ever made Irish bread. It has raisins in it and I used to buy it in NYC,,,but no luck here.

I must say that I have really bad luck making anything that has to have yeast and then wait for it to rise.....Have tried many times.
If Irish bread is like this...I'll never have any again!

 

[JohnDB]

Irish Soda bread has the raisins.

Bread is made from hard, winter wheat ground up fine. The quality of the gluten that makes the dough stretchy captures the gas from the yeast and makes the bread become light and airy. It tends to have more gluten than starch content in the wheat. Aka "high gluten flour" is often used in pizza places that make their own pizza dough.

Irish Soda bread is raised by baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and an acid. Which can be citric acid (fruit) or Sourdough starter and vinegar.
It's usually made from biscuit flour and bread flour blends. Raised in bowls to give it ridges and baked to really give it a rise.

Biscuit flour aka cake/cookie flour is from soft spring/summer wheat. It contains gluten but it's of poor quality and has a higher starch content vx protein content.

All purpose flour is made up of a blend of these two types of wheat.


But Danish Dough, like Croissants is all about the butter.
The butter figures so prominently in these doughs when made by scratch...flour becomes a side note.
Many bakeries will cut corners by using butter/shortening/margarine blends instead of pure, good quality butter. Little wonder when price constraints for retail price is under competing prices for less quality products and a consumer who is all consumed with the price instead of the flavor.

But then....
Out of the blue...
People have gotten used to such inferior and chemical flavors for so long that when the real thing shows up...it doesn't register that this is the real thing and they have been eating a distant cousin's shadow for all these years.

 

[JohnDB]

Also, have you ever made Irish bread. It has raisins in it and I used to buy it in NYC,,,but no luck here.

You can hop on a train to a UK bakery...get it from the source.

 

[GodsGrace]

You can hop on a train to a UK bakery...get it from the source.

LOL
You know, actually we have been there but not on a a train...
I FORGOT!!!!!

 

[GodsGrace]

Irish Soda bread has the raisins.

Bread is made from hard, winter wheat ground up fine. The quality of the gluten that makes the dough stretchy captures the gas from the yeast and makes the bread become light and airy. It tends to have more gluten than starch content in the wheat. Aka "high gluten flour" is often used in pizza places that make their own pizza dough.

Irish Soda bread is raised by baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and an acid. Which can be citric acid (fruit) or Sourdough starter and vinegar.
It's usually made from biscuit flour and bread flour blends. Raised in bowls to give it ridges and baked to really give it a rise.

Biscuit flour aka cake/cookie flour is from soft spring/summer wheat. It contains gluten but it's of poor quality and has a higher starch content vx protein content.

All purpose flour is made up of a blend of these two types of wheat.


But Danish Dough, like Croissants is all about the butter.
The butter figures so prominently in these doughs when made by scratch...flour becomes a side note.
Many bakeries will cut corners by using butter/shortening/margarine blends instead of pure, good quality butter. Little wonder when price constraints for retail price is under competing prices for less quality products and a consumer who is all consumed with the price instead of the flavor.

But then....
Out of the blue...
People have gotten used to such inferior and chemical flavors for so long that when the real thing shows up...it doesn't register that this is the real thing and they have been eating a distant cousin's shadow for all these years.

Wow, yeah., I so agree with your last paragraph.
We don't even know what tree ripened fruit even tastes like anymore. Here many have their own gardens and trees so some of it is still available as they sell to the local small stores, but in the cities - forget about it.

Yes, I meant Irish Soda Bread....
Thanks for the info! All stuff I didn't know.

 

[JohnDB]

Now I'm doing things a bit different than the recipes all tell me. I'm doing it the way I trained.

I spread butter on ⅔ of a large rectangle of the dough and then folded it into thirds.
Then let it cool in the fridge/freezer until the butter was very firm.

Then I rolled it out to the large rectangle again and folded it into thirds again like a letter you are going to shove in an envelope....twice. each time I do this the folds are on the edge sides so things seal up nicely and none of the butter leaks out.

This time I'll only do the letter folding once after I get it rolled out.

That will give me over 163 layers.

Now after it is cooled again I will roll it out for use. The designs I have planned will give it even more layers without allowing the butter to dissolve/melt into the dough.

This ought to work...I'm hopeful.
It's a bit different than what the "experts" in the recipe pages all say....but I learned from a guy who had done several hundred pound batches every day for years. So...I'm doing it the way he showed me.

 

[GodsGrace]

Now I'm doing things a bit different than the recipes all tell me. I'm doing it the way I trained.

I spread butter on ⅔ of a large rectangle of the dough and then folded it into thirds.
Then let it cool in the fridge/freezer until the butter was very firm.

Then I rolled it out to the large rectangle again and folded it into thirds again like a letter you are going to shove in an envelope....twice. each time I do this the folds are on the edge sides so things seal up nicely and none of the butter leaks out.

This time I'll only do the letter folding once after I get it rolled out.

That will give me over 163 layers.

Now after it is cooled again I will roll it out for use. The designs I have planned will give it even more layers without allowing the butter to dissolve/melt into the dough.

This ought to work...I'm hopeful.
It's a bit different than what the "experts" in the recipe pages all say....but I learned from a guy who had done several hundred pound batches every day for years. So...I'm doing it the way he showed me.

This sounds right to me.
What is the other way?
I know that you have to fold and butter..fold and butter.

 

[JohnDB]

This sounds right to me.
What is the other way?
I know that you have to fold and butter..fold and butter.

You start it by creating a square of cold butter, placing it on the dough diagonally and then wrapping the butter with the dough like a standard envelope wraps a letter...then doing the three layers folded over each other...rolling it out and doing the tri fold again.

 

[GodsGrace]

You start it by creating a square of cold butter, placing it on the dough diagonally and then wrapping the butter with the dough like a standard envelope wraps a letter...then doing the three layers folded over each other...rolling it out and doing the tri fold again.

Whoa.
A bit too technical for me.
But it all sounds delicious.

 

[JohnDB]

Well the dough needs a bit more chilling before I can roll it out one more time into desired shapes.
I had a plan...but I might change it. The texture of the dough is getting the best of me.
So....
We shall see what comes.

 

[JohnDB]

So...
The finished product was tasty. It didn't taste like the Danish you buy in the store.
Not in the least. It was much more reminiscent of pastries I bought in Europe than anything available in America. IOW very good but very different.
The best were where I rolled out portions of dough fairly thin then took the 1" wide strips I cut, twisted them until they became a rope and then coiled up the "ropes". I should have used "ropes" for a four strand braid...

I had forgotten how much of a brioche taste/texture there was in real Danish...
They definitely tasted hand made. The wholesome flavors came bursting through.

Appearance was something that was lacking in mine. Proofed them a tad too much and so the finish wasn't as smooth as possible.

One other thing I figured out... reworking trim pieces doesn't work well for keeping the laminations. But they tasted good.
Also
Adjusting the texture of the dough to the consistency of the butter is important. You want them the same. Firm dough and firm butter or looser, sticky dough with softer butter. A couple of tablespoons of water makes a big difference in a dough.

I made cream cheese filling that worked great. Also my frosting drizzle was made of powdered sugar and heavy cream.

Recipes are available for those interested.

 

[JohnDB]

In the end... reminiscing about the pastries...

It was a hearty, rich bread full of butter flavor and smell that was offset by the bits of icing or filling. Without those bits it would be too hearty and rich. It's a meal in itself that commercially prepared Danish are not in the same class with. Commercially prepared Danish are more like a donut than a real breakfast. Where a homemade Danish is a real breakfast in and of themselves.

I'm going to have to do this again.... even if it does take 6 hours to make.

 

[Edward]

Sounds interesting but what's cardamom? I never heard of it before.

For real?! Honest and truly?! But...but, your a girl and girls know these things! Oh, you better get into the kitchen, girl, lol!

Ok, I have a spice question for you. You like Mexican food? Do you know how most Mexican food has a distinctive flavor to it that is basically, the tang that makes it Mexican food? What spice is that? This is an easy one!

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

For real?! Honest and truly?! But...but, your a girl and girls know these things! Oh, you better get into the kitchen, girl, lol!

Ok, I have a spice question for you. You like Mexican food? Do you know how most Mexican food has a distinctive flavor to it that is basically, the tang that makes it Mexican food? What spice is that? This is an easy one!

Sorry, I don't know much about Mexican food and I only get into the kitchen to bake.