GBBO 2016 Week 5 - Danish Apple Roses

I know, another danish pastry - but I couldn't resist!! These look fab, and once you know some key steps, they're really easy to make. Filled with sliced apple and raspberry jam, they are amazing to have as a breakfast or dessert. My recipe made 6 fairly large roses.

Ingredients:

• 250g (2 cups) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 5g (1tsp) fast-action dried yeast
• 5g (1tsp) salt
• 40g (1/4cup) caster sugar
• 2 egg
• 30ml (2tbsp) water
• 60ml (1/4 cup) full-fat milk
• 125g unsalted butter (1/2 cup), chilled
• 2 medium apples, halved, cored and sliced thinly (2-3mm, do not peel)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 200g raspberry jam (seedless)
• Icing sugar (to dust)

Method:

1. Make the dough. Pour the flour into a bowl of a stand mixer (attached with a dough hook). Add the yeast to one side of the bowl, and salt and sugar to the opposite side.

2. Heat the milk until it is tepid, and mix with the egg and water. Pour onto the flour, and then mix on a low speed for 2 minutes.

3. Pull the dough off of the dough hook, and then increase the speed to medium, and mix for a further 6 minutes.

4. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel. There are two options for proving.

5. The first of these is to place the dough in the fridge, and leave overnight to prove. This greatly increases the flavour of the dough.

6. The second if you are short of time (or in the Bake Off tent!) is to prove for at least an hour in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.

7. Whilst the dough is proving, use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a rectangle about 25cm x 15cm. Place the butter between two sheets of cling film prior to rolling.  Place in the fridge until needed.

8. Once proved, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a rectangle 20cm x 10cm. Place the butter in the middle of the dough, then bring the exposed pastry up around the butter, so that it is fully encased. Crimp the edges to seal in the butter, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

9. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, with the shortest ends facing you. Roll out the dough to 20 x 8cm rectangle, then fold the bottom third of the pastry up, and the top third down (like a leaflet). Return to the freezer for 10 minutes.

10. Repeat the rolling, folding, and freezing process two times. After the final folding, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

11. Prepare the apples by placing them in a large bowl. Cover with the lemon juice, then add water until it just covers the apples.

12. Place the apples in the microwave and cook on full heat for 3-4 minutes, until the apples have softened and are easy to piece with a knife.

13. Drain the apples and set aside to cool. If you are in a hurry, run cold water over the apples to cool them faster.

14. Roll the pastry out to a 20cm x 20cm square, about 1/2cm thick. Divide into 6 strips.

15. Spread the raspberry jam over each strip.

16. Place the apple slices, with the peel facing up wards, over one long side of the dough, so that they cover the top half of the strip. Overlap the apple slices slightly, until you get to the end of the strip.

17. Fold the bottom half of the dough (which has no apple on it), over the top of the dough, and press down lightly. 

18. With the short size towards you, roll up the strip like a swiss roll - the apple slices will form a swirl that resemble rose petals.

19. Place in a deep muffin tin - this helps them to keep their shape. Cover loosely with clingfilm or a tea towel, and leave for 30 minutes to rise slightly.

20. Preheat your oven to 220c (200c fan)/425f/gas mark 7. 

21. Bake your roses for 10-12 minutes, until they are nicely golden on top. Leave to cool, then dust with icing sugar.

22. Enjoy!

GBBO 2016 Week 5 - ChocoNutty Danish Swirls

I baked two kinds of Danish pastry this time for the signature challenge on GBBO. The first were white chocolate and blueberry kites. The others were swirls, filled with a homemade chocolate and nut spread. I used a mixture of walnuts and almonds, but other nuts would work really well. Also, I would have liked slightly more swirl in my swirls, simply because I rolled when it was too thick…still tasted awesome though!

Makes 24 Swirls

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 500g (4 cups) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g (2tsp) fast-action dried yeast
• 10g (2tsp) salt
• 80g (1/3cup and 1tbsp) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 60ml (4tbsp) water
• 125ml (1/2 cup) full-fat milk
• 250g unsalted butter (1 cup), chilled

For the filling:

• 200g nuts (1 and 1/3 cups) (I used walnuts and almonds but any nuts, from peanuts to hazelnuts or brazil nuts, would work well)
• 50g (1/3 cup) dark chocolate, 50% cocoa solids
• 50g (3 tbsp) honey
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

To glaze:

• 100g (1/3 cup) honey
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Prepare the dough. Pour the flour into a bowl of a stand mixer (attached with a dough hook). Add the yeast to one side of the bowl, and salt and sugar to the opposite side.

2. Heat the milk until it is tepid, and mix with the eggs and water. Pour onto the flour, and then mix on a low speed for 2 minutes.

3. Pull the dough off of the dough hook, and then increase the speed to medium, and mix for a further 6 minutes.

4. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel. There are two options for proving.

5. The first of these is to place the dough in the fridge, and leave overnight to prove. This greatly increases the flavour of the dough.

6. The second if you are short of time (or in the Bake Off tent!) is to prove for at least an hour in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.

7. Whilst the dough is proving, use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a rectangle about 25cm x 15cm. Place the butter between two sheets of cling film prior to rolling.  Place in the fridge until needed.

8. Once proved, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a rectangle 40cm x 20cm. Place the butter in the middle of the dough, then bring the exposed pastry up around the butter, so that it is fully encased. Crimp the edges to seal in the butter, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

9. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, with the shortest ends facing you. Roll out the dough to 40 x 15cm rectangle, then fold the bottom third of the pastry up, and the top third down (like a leaflet). Return to the freezer for 10 minutes.

10. Repeat the rolling, folding, and freezing process two times. After the final folding, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

11. Prepare the nut butter by blitzing the nuts in a food processor until fine. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl in a microwave by heating it for 30 second blasts, stirring well after each blast.

12. Pour the dark chocolate, oil and honey into the food processor, and blend until a smooth butter is achieved.

13. Roll out the dough to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread on the nut butter, leaving a 2cm gap around the perimeter of the rectangle.

14. With the long side of the dough towards you, roll the dough up like a swiss roll. Chill for 30 minutes.

15. Slice the roll up into 2.5cm slices – use your sharpest knife possible! One contestant (Val) suggested using floss to get the best cut – could be worth a go. Place on two or three baking trays, covered with baking parchment. Cover then prove (room temperature) for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

16. Preheat the oven to 220c (200c fan)/425F/Gas mark 7.

17. Bake the swirls for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Place on a cooling rack.

18. Whilst baking, make the glaze by heating together the honey and icing sugar. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze onto the swirls whilst warm.

19. Enjoy!

GBBO 2016 Week 5 - White Chocolate and Blueberry Danish Kites

Week 5 in the tent was all about pastry – my biggest challenge!! I was determined to test myself and attempt these challenges. The first was all about Danish pastries – the dough for this is yeasted, meaning it has to be left to prove. Not only that, but copious amounts of butter are used to fold the dough, similar to puff pastry. Both of these factors make it pretty tricky, but I have to admit, the flavor of the dough is amazing!

I made two different Danish pastries, both using the same dough. The first of these is here – White chocolate and blueberry kites. The shaping of the kites is simple, and the white chocolate custard filling is epic.

Makes 12 kites

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 500g (4 cups) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g (2tsp) fast-action dried yeast
• 10g (2tsp) salt
• 80g (1/3 cup and 1tbsp) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 60ml (4tbsp) water
• 125ml (1/2 cup) full-fat milk
• 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter, chilled

For the filling:

• 35g (1/4 cup) white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp corn flour
• 140ml (1/2 cup and 1tbsp) full-fat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g (1 cup) blueberries 

To glaze:

• 100g (1/3 cup) honey
• 2tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Prepare the dough. Pour the flour into a bowl of a stand mixer (attached with a dough hook). Add the yeast to one side of the bowl, and salt and sugar to the opposite side.

2. Heat the milk until it is tepid, then mix with the eggs and water. Pour onto the flour, then mix on a low speed for 2 minutes.

3. Pull the dough off  the dough hook, then increase the speed to medium, and mix for a further 6 minutes.

4. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel. There are two options for proving.

The first of these is to place the dough in the fridge, and leave overnight to prove. This greatly increases the flavour of the dough.

The second if you are short of time (or in the Bake Off tent!) is to prove for at least an hour in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.

5. Whilst the dough is proving, use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a rectangle about 25cm x 15cm. Place the butter between two sheets of cling film prior to rolling.  Place in the fridge until needed.

6. Once proved, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a rectangle 40cm x 20cm. Place the butter in the middle of the dough, then bring the exposed pastry up around the butter, so that it is fully encased. Crimp the edges to seal in the butter, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

7. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, with the shortest ends facing you. Roll out the dough to 40 x 15cm rectangle, then fold the bottom third of the pastry up, and the top third down (like a leaflet). Return to the freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Repeat the rolling, folding, and freezing process two times. After the final folding, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

9. Roll out the dough into a 30 x 40cm rectangle – it will be about 5mm thick. Cut into twelve 10cm squares.

10. To make the kite, cut incisions as shown below:

About a centimetre from the edge of the square, make an incision following two sides of the square (in the image from corner D to A to B). Leave a small space, then cut along the perimeter of the other two sides, not touching where the first incision started. You are left with two corners that have been cut through (A and C), and two that haven’t (D and B).

11. Pull corners A and D towards each other and pull one over the other. Press the corners down - they will now be on opposite sides (A is where D was, and vice versa). Make an indentation in the middle of the dough, which is where the filling will go.

12. Place on 2-3 baking trays lined with greaseproof paper, and cover with cling-film or a tea towel for 30 minutes to 1 hours, until slightly grown.

13. Whilst proving, make the custard. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is bubbling.

Whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla and corn flour. Once smooth, pour over the hot milk, whisking constantly.

14. Return to the pan, and whisk until it has thickened – this will only take about a minute.

15. Add the white chocolate to the pan and whisk until it has melted. Cover and set aside until needed.

16. Preheat the oven to 220c (200c fan)/425F/ Gas mark 7.

17. Add teaspoons of the custard to the middle of each pastry. Add one or two blueberries on top of the custard, then another one in each end of the kite.

18. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.

19. Towards the end of the baking, heat the honey and icing sugar together until a clear syrup forms. Use a pastry brush to brush some of this glaze onto the pastries whilst warm.

20. Enjoy!