Danish Cream Brioches

I will guide you in preparing Danish cream brioches, also known as “Danish pastries” or “wienerbrød” in Danish. Since the pastry is originally from Denmark, I’ll add an Italian touch by also offering a suggestion on how to accompany this delight.

Ingredients for the dough:

• 500g of cake flour
• 250g of cold butter
• 50g of sugar
• 10g of fresh yeast
• 150ml of lukewarm milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt

Ingredients for the pastry cream:

• 500ml of whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 100g of sugar
• 40g of flour
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Prepare the puff pastry: place the flour in a well on your work surface, add sugar and salt around the edges. In the center, crumble the yeast, add the eggs, and start to knead, gradually pouring in the warm milk.

2. As the dough begins to take shape, gradually add the cold butter, cut into small pieces, working until you have a smooth and uniform dough. Form a ball, cover it with cling film, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

3. Roll out the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface, then fold it into three parts, like a letter. Rotate it 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process three more times. Let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream: heat the milk with the vanilla until it’s about to boil. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar, then add the sifted flour. Slowly pour in the hot milk, mixing well to prevent lumps.

5. Return the mixture to the heat and cook over low heat while stirring until the cream thickens. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and cover with cling film in contact. Allow to cool completely.

6. Roll out the dough again until it’s about 5mm thick. Cut into squares of about 12 cm on each side.

7. Place a spoonful of pastry cream in the center of each square, then close the Danish brioches by bringing two opposite corners towards the center and pinching them to seal.

8. Arrange the brioches on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, letting them rise in a warm place for about an hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush the brioches with some milk or beaten egg and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Allow the Danish to cool on a wire rack and, if desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Curiosity

Although known as Danish pastry, this sweet originates from a group of Austrian bakers who worked in Denmark, hence the name wienerbrød, which means “Viennese bread”. The meeting between Austrian pastry traditions and Danish ones gave birth to this delicacy.

For a true Italian touch, you could enjoy your Danish with a quality espresso coffee or, for a special occasion, accompany them with a sweet wine like Passito di Pantelleria.