Easy Cinnamon Roll Danish

If you love a good breakfast pastry, then this recipe is right up your street. I turn this easy to make and versatile dough into several versions of a breakfast danish; from simple butter crescent rolls to pretty raspberry pinwheels. Unlike many complex danish doughs, which are much akin to the intricacy of making croissants, this dough doesn't even get kneaded. How easy is that?!

1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ cup lukewarm water

Dissolve sugar into the warm water and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand for 15 minutes.
In a food processor mix together:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp salt

Pulse in:

¾ cup butter, very cold, cut into small cubes

Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. There should still be pea sized chunks of butter in the mix; the same as if you were making good pastry.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Whisk together:

3 eggs
½ cup whipping cream

Stir in the yeast mixture and pour over the flour mixture and toss together with a wooden spoon, just enough to make a dough form. It is not necessary to need this dough. Divide in two portions. Each portion makes about 8-10 pastries so if you don’t need it all right away, double wrap one portion in plastic wrap and freeze it for later.

This dough needs to be rested in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

For Cinnamon Roll Danish, roll the dough out into a 12x18 rectangle. Sprinkle the entire surface with cinnamon sugar and about 1 cup of raisins. Starting at the short side of the rectangle of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a cylinder pinching the seam together to seal. Cut into ¾ inch thick slices.

For turnovers, roll out to about ¼ inch thick and cut into 4 inch squares.   Spoon a tablespoon of raspberry compote in the center and fold over, pressing the edges together to seal.

For pinwheels, still using a 4 inch square of dough, make a 1 inch slit at each corner of the dough, cutting toward the middle. Spoon a tablespoon of raspberry jam in the center then pull every second point of dough toward the center of the pastry.

For plain crescent danish, roll out into a 12x18 rectangle, then cut into tall triangles, 12 inches long and roll those up from the widest end.

All danishes should be brushed with an egg wash made from whisking together 1 egg with 2 tbsp water before baking on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
A simple glaze can be made for any of these pastries by mixing together until completely smooth:

½ cup icing sugar
A couple of drops of vanilla extract
2 tbsp whipping cream or milk
Drizzle in a thin stream over the pastries.


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