Grandma Tholen's Danish Pastry

 

Probably in the 50's my grandma's neighbor, from Denmark, taught her to make braided bread stuffed with almond paste and vanilla pudding.   Sometimes pecans as well. And then frosted with buttercream (or cream cheese icing) and maraschino cherries.  And we have called them Danish Pastries ever since!

Dough (This isn't the original recipe, but my mom started using this and what she does I do.)

2 T. dry yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
3 eggs, well beaten
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. salt

Soften yeast in 1 1/4 cup warm water, let it stand until dissolved and growing.  Combine dissolved yeast, eggs, 2 1/2 cups flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Cover. Let rise rise until double. Punch down and refrigerate.  Roll out for Danish Pastry.

While dough is proofing, prepare the other ingredients.

Pudding

1 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat milk to barely boiling.  Previous to milk boiling, beat egg yolk with sugar and flour, when milk does boil, add a small amount of milk to egg and beat.  Add small amounts of milk, beating continuously, until completely mixed.  Let thicken and then set aside for pastry.  

Almond Filling

1/4 lb butter (113 g)

3/4 c sugar (156 g)

1/3 cup rolled oats (50 g)

2 teaspoons almond extract

Mix all ingredients together with a pastry blender.  Mixture will be grainy.

Frosting:  Make your favourite buttercream or cream cheese icing.  And cut in half a jar of maraschino (cocktail) cherries.  And break some pecans into bit if you would like.

Now it's time to assemble.  

Divide everything into six.  (I usually use a pizza cutter to divide the dough into six, and then just cut the pudding and filling into six parts.)

Roll into a rectangular share, 9 inches x 12 inches and about 1/2 inches thick.  Spread with pudding, almond filling and nuts.  Cut and braid as diagrammed below.

Let pastry raise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Frost with icing and garnish with maraschino cherries.  Makes six pastries.