Apple Danish is a delicious pastry filled with sweet apple filling and often topped with icing or glaze. Here’s a recipe to make Apple Danish at home:
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup milk, warmed
- 1 large egg, beaten
For the apple filling:
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening)
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Make the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly texture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm milk and beaten egg.
- Pour the milk-egg mixture into the flour-butter mixture and stir until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Make the apple filling:
- In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced apples and cook until they start to soften.
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice to the apples. Cook until the apples are tender and caramelized, about 5-7 minutes.
- If the filling is too liquid, you can add the cornstarch-water mixture to thicken it. Cook for another minute until thickened. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Assemble the Danish:
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into squares or rectangles, depending on the size of Danish pastries you want.
- Place a spoonful of the cooled apple filling in the center of each dough piece.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the filling to create a pocket, pinching the edges to seal.
- Place the filled pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them.
- Cover the pastries loosely with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake the Danish:
- Once the pastries have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
- Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract until smooth and drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled Apple Danish pastries.
- Serve and enjoy your homemade Apple Danish pastries warm or at room temperature. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a delicious dessert!