Copycat Cheese Danish Food

SCRATCH-MADE CHEESE DANISH RECIPE

Steps:

• Make one recipe of danish dough from my Morning Buns recipe. Complete the dough to step 11. I recommend watching the Morning buns video for a step by step instruction.
• On a floured surface, roll out the danish dough to a 12 x 12 inch (30x30cm) square and cut the dough into 9 squares.
• Place the squares of dough onto the baking sheet and fold the corner of each square in towards the center. Press your finger into the center of the square to create a dent.
• In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract until well blended. Place in a piping bag.
• Pipe about 2 tablespoons of filling into the dent at the center of each square.
• Cover the danishes with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place until puffed, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
• When the dough is proofed, heat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Remove the plastic, brush the dough with the egg wash, and bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C), rotate the pan, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the danishes are golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
• These danishes are best the day they are made, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Re-crisp in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes.

EASY CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
• Beat the whole egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl; set aside.
• Beat the egg yolk, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
• Lay out the 2 sheets of puff pastry and cut each into 4 squares. Fold the corners of the squares over by about 1 inch to make octagon shapes. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly into the center of each (about 2 tablespoons per); do not spread the cream cheese. Brush all of the exposed pastry with the egg wash, then dust generously with sugar.
• Bake until puffed and golden brown all over, about 18 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

HEAVENLY CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Add milk, egg yolks and yeast mixture; stir to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours., To assemble, punch down dough; divide into 4 portions. On a lightly floured surface, pat each portion into a 9x4-in. rectangle; sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into four 9x1-in. strips. Twist each strip, then loosely wrap strip around itself to form a coil; tuck the end under and pinch to seal. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Beat cream cheese, sugar and egg yolk until smooth. Press an indentation in center of each roll; fill with 1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°., Whisk egg white with water; brush over rolls. Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove to wire racks; brush with syrup. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

COPYCAT CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Proof the yeast: Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed just until combined. Let stand in the bowl until the mixture is foamy, frothy, and smells distinctly like yeast, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the milk and let stand until the butter melts and the mixture cools to 95°F.
• Scald milk: Put in pan over medium low heat and heat until bubbles appear around edges. Temp will be 180-185 degrees. Do not boil. Set aside
• Prepare the dough: Add the flour, sugar, salt, milk mixture, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and zest to the mixer. Mix on low speed just until combined. The dough will seem soft, but it will come together as it is kneaded. Stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Knead the dough: Increase the speed to medium and knead until smooth, 5 to 6 minutes
• Add the remaining butter: Increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at time, waiting until each tablespoon is mostly mixed in before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl again.
• Let the dough rise twice: Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm (between 68°F and 72°F), draft-free spot until almost doubled in volume, 30 to 60 minutes. Fold the dough to deflate it. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it rise again, until about doubled in volume from its original size, 50 to 55 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling
• Make the filling: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade (or if you are using a handheld electric mixer, in a bowl), process the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and zest until smooth and creamy, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to assemble and bake.
• Prepare to bake: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Line a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour
• Roll the dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on the surface. Roll out the dough, moving it to ensure that it won't stick and adding flour underneath if it sticks a bit, to a 12x14-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make an egg wash: Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl; set aside.
• Fill the dough: Spoon the filling lengthwise down the center of the rectangle of dough, creating a strip of filling that is 12 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide, leaving a 1-inch border at each short end and a 4 1/4-inch border on each long end.
• Cut strips on either side of the filling: Using a very sharp, small knife or pizza cutter, cut the unfilled sides of the dough into 1 1/2-inch wide strips that are perpendicular to the line of filling (as if you were making thick fringe on either side of it); but do not detach them from the main rectangle. Make the incision into the dough about 1/4 inch from the filling. You will have 12 strips per side.
• Fold the strips: Position the baking sheet so a short end is facing you. Starting with the top left strip, fold it up and over the filling at a slight angle. Next, fold the top right strip up and over the filling, meeting and slightly crossing the first strip, making a sort of crisscross or chevron pattern. Continue alternating left and right strips so you wind up with a crisscross that covers most of the filling. Press the dough strips together firmly without squishing the filling so the strips stay together when baked. Seal the danish by pinching together the uncovered ends and the strips closest to them.
• Brush with egg wash: Using a pastry brush, liberally brush the top of the danish with the egg wash
• Bake the danish: Bake until a warm caramel brown in color, 25 to 33 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Place a large piece of parchment on a work surface and set a cooling rack over it. Slide the danish onto the cooling rack and cool completely.
• Ice the danish: When the danish is cool, whisk the lemon juice or milk and powdered sugar in a small bowl until fully incorporated. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the danish in a zigzag pattern. Cut into slices and serve.
• Recipe Notes Scalding: To scald milk, heat it in a saucepan set over medium-low heat until tiny bubbles form at the edge of the pan, just before it simmers, about 180°F to 185°F. Be careful not to let it boil. (If you don't have a thermometer, test it with your finger; it should be warm, not uncomfortably hot.) Read this to find out why scalding is important. Mixers: If you don't have a stand mixer, a handheld electric mixer is not a good alternative for this yeast dough. You can try making these by hand, but you risk making a dense, greasy dough if you are not an expert. I have been making doughs seemingly forever, and I (almost) never do it by hand and I don't know many professional bakers who do either. This recipe is easier, most consistent, and simply all-around better when made with a stand mixer.