Danish Puff Pastry Recipe (2024)

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This delicious Danish Puff Pastry Recipe is quite old; my Grandmother made it for as long as I can remember, and I have been making this Danish puff recipe for over 40 years. This simple-to-make puff pastry recipe is a fantastic coffee Danish to serve friends and family for dinner, breakfast, or get-togethers.

I thought you might be interested in what my recipe card for this Danish puff pastry looks like!

Danish Puff Recipe

I’ve made this a lot over the last 35 years. I think it may be time for me to rewrite that recipe card!

Like I said, a family favorite!!

Tips and variations for making this Danish puff pastry:

● Toppings: either leave the Danish Puff Pastry with just the frosting, or use chopped or sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or drain a few maraschino cherries, and dice them up fine. You can also mix and match the toppings (nuts + maraschino cherries works very well!)

How to make vanilla extract

● This does not keep well. At all. It is best fresh to the next day (cover well if storing overnight). My best advice? Once cut, be prepared to eat the Danish Puff Pastry. And no, I have never made a half-recipe and neither has anyone else in my family – and believe me, this is a family favorite.

Danish Puff Ingredients for Crust:

● 1 cup Flour, sifted
● ½ cup Butter
● 2 TBSP Water

Danish Puff Pastry Ingredients for Dough:

● ½ cup Butter
● 1 cup Flour, sifted
● 1 cup Water
● 1 tsp Almond Extract
● 3 Eggs

Danish Puff Mise en Place:

Measuring Cup
Sifter
Measuring Spoons
Rubber Spatula
3 quart Pot
● Wooden Mixing Spoon or Whisk
Baking Sheet
● Electric Mixer: Stand Mixer (paddle attachment, whisk, bowls, etc.) or Hand Mixer

Danish Puff Ingredients for Frosting:

● ¼ cup Butter
● 1 lb Confectionery Sugar
● ¼ – ½ cup Half and Half or Light Cream
● 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
● Nuts or maraschino cherries for garnish

Danish Puff Directions Crust:

● Preheat oven to 350°F.
● Cut Flour into Butter.
● Add water until well blended.
● Note: if you melt the butter in the microwave first, you can eliminate the water. Just mix the butter and flour together to form the crust dough.

● Separate into two balls.

● Pat each ball into long 12″ x 3″ strips 3″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Danish Puff Directions Dough:

● In a 3 quart pot mix butter and water together.
● Bring to a rolling boil.

● Remove from heat, add almond extract.

● Add flour and stir until smooth.

● Add 1 egg at a time, beating until smooth. (Do not over beat, your dough will be tough if you do)

● Divide dough in halfand , spread half onto each crust.

● Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes.
● Allow pastry to cool.

Danish Puff Directions Frosting:

● In a mixing bowl using a stand mixer combine butter and confectionery sugar, beat well.
● Add vanilla extract.
● Add between ¼ – ½ cup of Half and Half or Light Cream a little at a time. Check consistency. Of you want the frosting thicker, use less cream, if you want it thinner, add more cream. Beat until fluffy.

● Spread evenly over cooled pastry.

● Top with nuts or drained and cut maraschino cherries.

● Slice into strips and serve.

Yield: 1

Danish Puff Pastry Recipe

Danish Puff Pastry Recipe (21)

This delicious Danish Puff Pastry Recipe is quite old; my Grandmother made it for as long as I can remember, and I have been making it for over 40 years. This simple-to-make puff pastry recipe is a fantastic coffee Danish to serve friends and family for dinner, breakfast, or get-togethers.

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Additional Time30 minutes

Total Time2 hours

Ingredients

Ingredients for Crust:

  • 1 cup Flour, sifted
  • ½ cup Butter
  • 2 TBSP Water

Ingredients for Dough:

  • ½ cup Butter
  • 1 cup Flour, sifted
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 tsp Almond Extract
  • 3 Eggs

Ingredients For Frosting:

  • ¼ cup Butter
  • 1 lb Confectionery Sugar
  • ¼ – ½ cup Half and Half or Light Cream
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Nuts or Maraschino Cherries for garnish

Instructions

  1. Directions Crust:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  3. Cut Flour into Butter.
  4. Add water until well blended.
  5. Note: if you melt the butter in the microwave first, you can eliminate the water. Just mix the butter and flour together to form the crust dough.
  6. Separate into two balls.
  7. Pat each ball into long 12″ x 3″ strips 3″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  8. Directions Dough:
  9. In a 3 quart pot mix butter and water together.
  10. Bring to a rolling boil.
  11. Remove from heat, add almond extract.
  12. Add flour and stir until smooth.
  13. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until smooth. (Do not over beat, your dough will be tough if you do).
  14. Divide dough in half, spread half onto each crust.
  15. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 55-60 minutes.
  16. Directions Frosting:
  17. Allow pastry to cool.
  18. In a mixing bowl combine butter and confectionery sugar, beat well.
  19. Add vanilla extract.
  20. Add between ¼ – ½ cup of the half and half or light cream a little at a time. Check consistency. Of you want the frosting thicker, use less cream, if you want it thinner, add more cream. Beat until fluffy.
  21. Spread evenly over cooled pastry.
  22. Top with nuts or drained and cut maraschino cherries.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

32

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 163Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 68mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g

Note: for exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information provided is simply a guideline.

First Published: September 13, 2013

Last Updated: April 24, 2023

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Danish Puff Pastry Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Danish pastry the same as puff pastry? ›

DIFFERENCE PUFF PASTRY

First of all Danish pastries contain a high level of fat: 40%. The second difference is that Danish dough contains yeast and that isn't the case for puff pastry. This is the reason that after baking, puff pastries contain a more airy structure and a more crispy bite.

What is the secret to puff pastry? ›

Always preheat your oven for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before baking, because Puff Pastry depends on even heat to rise and puff. Place pastries 1 inch apart. If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

What makes a pastry a Danish? ›

What Is a Danish Pastry? A Danish pastry, often known as simply “a Danish”, is a layered, sweet pastry baked with Danish pastry traditions. This type of baking involves using yeast-leavened dough or puff pastry with added ingredients such as butter, eggs, milk, cream, and sugar to make the pastries richer and sweeter.

What is the most famous Danish pastry? ›

Traditional Danish pastries

In Denmark, these world-famous sticky delights are called Vienna Bread (wienerbrød), as they were first made in Denmark in the 1840s by Austrian bakers.

Is croissant dough just puff pastry? ›

While both puff pastry and croissant doughs are laminated, puff pastry does not include yeast and croissant dough does. The yeast gives the dough an even lighter texture. Croissant doughs also contain more sugar than puff pastry.

Can you buy ready made Danish pastry dough? ›

Danish Dough (Frozen Dough) - Jecky's Best.

Is butter or egg better on puff pastry? ›

We are Team Egg Wash (or Cream Wash). While melted butter adds more flavor than the washes, it is less effective in look; it gives a speckled appearance to pastry.

Is egg or milk better for puff pastry? ›

Milk is too runny and will burn but you can add a little to your egg wash to make it a little thinner for coating. Melted butter also burns quite quickly. Egg wash is the most reliable because it coats the pastry evenly and doesn't run off.

Why is puff pastry so difficult? ›

Puff pastry does need some gluten development but, because of the amount of rolling out that will happen during lamination, it is very easy to overwork a dough which makes it incredibly hard to use and can cause a lot of shrinkage.

What is a fun fact about Danish pastry? ›

Danish pastry was brought to the United States by Danish immigrants. Lauritz C. Klitteng of Læsø popularized "Danish pastry" in the US around 1915–1920. According to Klitteng, he made Danish pastry for the wedding of President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915.

What is a Danish Kringle? ›

“Danish pastry” or a “Danish” is an umbrella term for various types of buttery, flaky pastry. A Kringle is a pastry made with layers of sweet, flaky pastry, filled with fruit, nut or gourmet filling and topped with sweet icing. Originally, the Kringle was in a twisted shape like pretzels.

What flavor is wisconsin Kringle? ›

You'll find the Kringle is smothered with just the right amount of white frosting and filled with everything from popular favorites like pecan and almond to custard chocolate chip or red velvet for the more adventurous.

Why are Danish pastries so good? ›

In addition, the special lamination technique makes the pastry deliciously flaky and airy. Lamination is a folding technique, where dough and margarine are alternately layered and rolled. Danish pastry consists of up to 27 layers depending on the specific type of pastry.

What is a typical Danish breakfast? ›

Typical Danish breakfast is bread (white or rye bread) with cream or soft cheese, sausage, cured cold meat or jam with coffee or tea. Among popular breakfast dishes are also cereals and porridge. One of the most interesting things and a very traditional Danish food you can eat in Copenhagen is øllebrød.

What is the closest thing to puff pastry? ›

Puff pastry and phyllo dough have a lot in common: both are many-layered pastry doughs (unlike the traditional pâté brisée that we use in so many of our recipes), and both bake up with crispy, crunchy, flaky layers, but there are distinct differences.

What is another name for Danish pastry? ›

In Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, the term for Danish pastry is wienerbrød (or wienerbröd), meaning "Viennese bread".

What pastry is similar to Danish? ›

Sweden - The Swedish "kanelbullar" (cinnamon rolls) are similar to Danish pastries, with a similar flaky texture and a sweet, cinnamon filling.

What is the major difference between puff pastry and croissant and Danish dough? ›

The base dough, known as the detrempe, varies depending on the type of pastry. For example, puff pastry dough is made up of flour, water, and salt; croissant dough is prepared with flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and milk; while Danish dough includes the same ingredients as a croissant dough but adds eggs to the mix.

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