Serious bakers invariably try their hand at making Danish dough from scratch. Properly made Danish dough bakes up flaky and soft on the inside with a buttery, golden-browned exterior just perfect for wrapping around sweet cheeses and fruits. Making the dough at home requires you to roll butter into a thin, even sheet before layering it with a yeast-risen sweet dough.
Instructions
1. Freeze the butter for about 15 minutes right before you plan to start rolling it. You should also freeze the box grater and several large sheets of waxed paper.
2. Choose a marble or Formica work surface, if possible. Marble and Formica remain cooler on the surface compared to wood. Danish dough requires a surface as cool as possible.
3. Lay enough waxed paper over the work surface to cover it completely. Using the box grater held over the waxed paper, grate the cold butter sticks onto the , using the section of the grater normally used to shred cheese.
4. Move the box grater to different sections of the waxed paper when too much starts to accumulate in one area. Try to shred the butter so that it naturally forms an 8- to 10-inch square on top of the waxed paper.
5. Continue shredding all the butter in this manner. Use your hands to quickly move the shredded butter piles so that they cover the paper evenly.
6. Cover another sheet of waxed paper, of equal size to the bottom sheet, over the shredded butter. Use the rolling pin to roll the butter into a 1/4-inch sheet. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper, invert the entire sheet of butter over your rolled-out Danish dough and peel off the bottom sheet. Proceed to roll the Danish dough as usual.
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