Daily Activity (English Version) #2

Today we all continue the yesterday's practice of making various forms of puff pastry

like Turn overs, pinwheels,and napoleon.

I was lucky enough to find this recipe from my campus. Now this was an amazing discovery.  I can make puff pastry and save myself so much time and effort.  Yeah I like that!

This is a pastry that is flaky , crispy and buttery. And another bonus point is, that you can fill it  with any filling that suits your tastes.

Danishes are light, multi-layered pastries that make a sophisticated and delicious  addition to a breakfast spread. One thing that makes them so appealing? All the Danish pastry shapes you can try!

Before we can start making the danish pastry shapes, we have to get the dough ready

• Gently roll your pastry dough into a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry into even squares, as all of these shapes are based on a square.
•  You could also use a ruler to ensure that your proportions are accurate. Once you have your squares, you’re ready to fold!

These are three of my favorite Danish Pastry shapes, The Pinwheel,Turn Overs and Napoleon. Follow along to see how to make all four shapes. 

1. THE PINWHEEL 

This shape is always a favorit ,often it’s the only one that I’ll make.

1. To make the shape, make four equal cuts at each corner of one square. Each cut should reach toward the center of the square but not cut all the way through.

2. Grab one half of each corner and pull it toward the center of the square. Then, add your filling at the place where all the points meet. 

2. TURN OVERS 

1. Trim edges and cut into four rectangles. Place puff pastry squares on prepared baking sheet. 

2. Lighlty brush edges of pastry with egg wash. Place filling in center of squares. Fold over puff pastry to create a triangle and gently press edges together. Using a fork, press edges to seal. Brush with eggwash and sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar. 

3. NAPOLEON

The Napoleon is a pastry made of many layers of puff pastry with filling alternating the layers. It can be eaten as a desserts. And it is usually filled with whipped cream,pastry cream, and fruit preserves. most often raspberry jam. The topping may be simply powdered sugar, or a strings of chocolate too. 

1. Unfold puff pastry sheet and trim edges to a 9-inch square. 

2. Cut pastry into nine 3-inch squares.

3. If Using Fruit Jam or Preserves:  Spread about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves on each bottom layer. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream over raspberry preserves or if not using a layer of fruit jam or preserves, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream on the bottom layer. 

4. Spread another 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream on each middle layer. Finally, top with remaining pastry layers. Spread glaze over top of napoleons, then drizzle with melted chocolate if you want :)

5. Transfer pastry squares to the prepared baking sheets. 

Do this before going to the oven!

Use an egg wash

Your pastries may not stick together perfectly, especially if you are working with your dough on a lightly floured surface. Brush the pastry with an egg wash (a egg whisked together with milk) to make the surface sticky and help the pastries hold their shape.

The egg wash will also give the pastries a golden color and provide a nice surface for coarse sanding sugar to stick to, if you want to add some texture to your pastries. 

And now, 

Preheat oven to 425'F/220'C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or plain brown paper, set aside. 

Bake until pastry is criso and golden about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

I hope you decide to give this Puff Pastry a go. Let me know what you think and how you filled yours. Enjoy!