The danish dough from Gemma’s Morning Buns recipe, filled with sweetened cream cheese. The same dough also makes morning buns — see the cinnamon filling variation in the notes.
Ingredients
Danish Dough
- 1½ cups (7½oz/213g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) cold butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons (3fl oz/91ml) milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) cream cheese
- ¼ cup (1oz/28g) confectioner’s sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Finishing
- Egg wash
Instructions
Make the Danish Dough
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Working quickly, rub the cold butter into the flour mixture by hand or with a pastry blender. You want visible pieces of butter throughout — do not fully incorporate.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg, milk, and vanilla together, then pour into the flour mixture.
- Mix quickly into a dough, handling as little as possible so as not to melt the butter.
- Shape into a small rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to about 8×15 inches (20×28cm).
- Fold in thirds like a letter, so the dough is in 3 layers.
- Re-flour the surface, re-roll into a large rectangle, turn it, and fold into thirds again. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After resting, repeat the rolling and folding process one more time: roll, turn, and fold 3 more times.
- Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Can be frozen for up to 1 month — defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Shape and Fill
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12×12 inch (30×30cm) square. Cut into 9 equal squares.
- Place squares on a baking sheet. Fold the corners of each square in toward the center and press your finger into the center to create a dent.
- Beat cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well blended. Transfer to a piping bag.
- Pipe about 2 tablespoons of filling into the dent in each square.
Proof and Bake
- Cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm place until puffed, about 1 to 1½ hours.
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Remove the plastic wrap, brush dough with egg wash, and bake for 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 375°F (190°C), rotate the pan, and bake another 5–10 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Best the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days — re-crisp in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes.
- Morning Buns variation: Instead of the cream cheese filling, brush the rolled-out dough with 6 tbsp softened butter, then sprinkle with a mix of 2 tbsp granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp salt. Roll into a log, slice into 10–12 pieces, and bake cut-side up in a buttered muffin tin.
- Keep the butter cold throughout — work fast and refrigerate the dough if it starts to feel warm.