Danish pastry with pastry cream filling

 When I just started baking, I always thought that laminated pastry was out of my reach.

Well, I didn't say that it becomes easy for me, but it's not as hard as I thought (anyway it still takes time to make). Maybe I learn to understand it more and more each time that I made it. 
And the most important thing about a good formula is the temperature, a high temperature will melt the butter, so if your kitchen is hot, try making it in another room (one of my friends tempering chocolate in his bedroom, haha) so that you can control it. Return it to the refrigerator when it becomes too soft to handle. But try to work quickly esp. for Danish pastries like this one, as it contains yeast and it will start working if you work with it for too long.
You can use flour for preventing the dough from sticking, but don't forget to use a brush to remove excess flour from the pastry ^^.
Because this kind of pastry takes so much time, making a small batch is not recommended (in my opinion), as you can keep the pastry (unbaked) in the freeze for 1 month (cover it completely to prevent dryness).
Besides pastry cream, you can fill it with many kinds of filling, such as white sauce or cheese cream. Hope you having fun making it as much as me, haha.


English: Danish pastry with pastry cream filling
สูตรภาษาไทย: ขนมปังเดนิชใส้คัสตาร์ดครีม

日本語のレシピ：デニッシュパン
Youtube: Danish pastry with pastry cream filling / ขนมปังเดนิชใส้คัสตาร์ดครีม / デニッシュパン

Danish pastry with pastry cream filling

Makes 18 pieces 

(9 cm across the top, 6 cm at the base, and  7.5 cm deep)

Danish pastry
415 g ............................... Unsalted butter
415 g ............................... Bread flour
36 g ................................. Granulated sugar
8 g ................................... Instant yeast
6.5 g ................................ Salt
215 g ............................... Milk
2 ...................................... Eggs (110g)
......................................... Bread flour for rolling
Pastry cream
335 g ............................... Milk
2 ...................................... Eggs
1/2 tsp ............................. Vanilla extract
75 g .................................. Granulated sugar
1/8 tsp ............................. Salt
40 g ................................. Cornstarch
50 g ................................. Unsalted butter

......................................... Egg for brushing the pastry before baking 
......................................... Icing sugar
......................................... Fruits

 Line a working space with baking paper, place the butter over the paper, and cover it with another piece of paper, tap with a rolling pin.

 Until the butter becomes soft (but still cold).

 Roll into 15x15 cm square.

 Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Put flour, sugar, and yeast into a bowl, whisk to combine.
Put salt into the bowl and whisk again.
Pour egg and milk into the bowl, and mix until combined.

 When the dough formed, remove it from the bowl.
The dough will be very sticky.

 Sprinkle flour over the workspace, and pat the dough into 21 x 21 cm.
Place the butter over the dough.

 Cover the butter with the dough.
Sprinkle more flour on top.

 Roll with a rolling pin.

 Roll into 20 x 30 cm.

 Fold like an envelop

Cover the pastry completely.

Freeze for 30 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes more.

 Remove from the fridge, and roll with the rolling pin.

  Roll into 20 x 30 cm.

 Use a brush to remove excess flour.

 Cover, freeze for 30 minutes, and refrigerate for 30 minutes more.
Do the same process 2 more times.

After 4 times, freeze for at least 2 hours.

Remove from the freezer, roll into 26 x 50 cm.

 About 1 cm in thickness.
Freeze for 30 minutes.

Makes pastry cream:

 Heat milk in a microwave  (600W) for 3 minutes.

 Put eggs, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, and salt into a pan, whisk to combine.

 Pour hot milk into the pan, and whisk all the time until combined.

 Place over low heat, stirring all the time.

 Until thicken.

 Pass through a sieve into a bowl.

 Put the butter into the bowl, and stir lightly to combine.

 Place plastic wrap directly over the pastry cream, and let it cool completely.

 Cut the Danish pastry into 8 x 8 cm (18 pieces).

 Put into a large muffin pan (9 cm across the top, 6 cm at the base, and  7.5 cm deep).

Cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour (28℃ ).
Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 200℃.

 Press the center of the pastry, and prick with a fork.

 Brush with egg.

 Pipe the pastry cream into the center.

 Bake for 20 minutes.

 Let it cool completely.

 Sprinkle icing sugar over the pastry.

Pipe pastry over the top, and decorate with fresh fruit before serving.

Danish pastry with pastry cream filling