Flaky Cheese Danish (Print-Friendly Version)
Soft buttery dough folds hide a smooth cheese center with a light sweet drizzle finishing it off.
# Ingredients List:
→ Dough
01 -
Cold unsalted butter 240 g
02 -
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
03 -
67 g sugar
04 -
1 tsp salt
05 -
480 g regular flour
06 -
240 ml warmed whole milk
07 -
1 big egg
→ Filling
08 -
Softened cream cheese 200 g
09 -
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 -
50 g sugar
11 -
Zest from one lemon, if you like
→ Glaze
12 -
Powdered sugar 120 g
13 -
15 to 30 ml milk or lemon juice
14 -
½ tsp vanilla extract
→ Toppings (optional)
15 -
Fresh berries, sliced almonds, or jam
# Detailed Cooking Steps:
01 -
Put cold butter between parchment sheets. Tap and shape it into a 20 cm square. Pop it in the fridge until it’s firm but still bendable.
02 -
Throw flour, sugar, and salt into a big bowl. In another cup, mix warm milk with yeast and wait 5–10 minutes till you see bubbles. Add egg plus the yeast mix into the dry stuff. Knead until nice and smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover and let it chill in the fridge for half an hour.
03 -
Roll the dough out into a 40 cm square. Put the butter block smack in the middle sideways like a diamond. Fold dough corners over the butter to seal it in. Roll that into a long 20 by 60 cm rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, then chill for 30 minutes. Do this rolling and folding two more times, taking breaks in the fridge every time.
04 -
Roll the folded dough to about 0.6 cm thick. Cut into 10 cm squares. Drop a tablespoon of cream cheese filling right in the center. Fold the corners or shape them how you want. Feel free to add berries or jam if you want.
05 -
Place pastries on trays lined with parchment paper. Let them rise at room temp for an hour. Heat oven to 200°C. Brush tops with egg wash or milk. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes till they turn golden.
06 -
Let the pastries cool completely. Mix powdered sugar with milk or lemon juice and vanilla till smooth. Drizzle it on before serving.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
Keeping both dough and butter cold makes the layers flaky. Use good unsalted butter for best taste. You can tweak the glaze thickness however you like.