Homemade custard Danish pastry recipe

Dubai: Imagine savouring a delightful Danish pastry, where each bite reveals a perfect balance of sweet and salty flavours, complemented by a soft, flaky texture. This beloved breakfast treat features a crisp exterior, encasing a luscious filling of sweet custard and fresh fruit. Danish pastries are made from a unique yeasted dough layered with butter, providing a light and airy texture similar to puff pastry yet distinctively their own. Indulging in one of these pastries is a morning delight that's hard to resist.

Recipe

If you have Danish dough readily available, the recipe is quite simple. The process involves preparing a custard, which is then filled into shaped Danish dough and topped with fruit or jam. Once baked, these pastries make a perfect breakfast accompaniment to tea or coffee. You can prepare the pastries in advance by filling and shaping them, then freezing them to bake later.

Step-by-step guide

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes

Serves: 6 pieces

Ingredients:

6 Danish dough sheet squares (store-bought)

90 ml Milk

1 tbsp Granulated sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

1 tbsp Custard powder

3 Red globe grapes or 25 gms blueberry compote

1 tbsp Honey, for glaze

Method

Combine 60 ml of milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a pan. Place the pan over a low flame and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Mix the custard powder with the remaining milk in a separate bowl until it is smooth and free of lumps.

Gradually add the custard mixture to the boiling milk, stirring continuously to combine. Cook the custard on a low flame until it thickens. Once thickened, remove it from the heat and continue whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Allow the custard to cool completely.

Preheat your oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with a silicone mat.

Place the pastry sheets on the lined tray, ensuring space between each sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of milk.

Add one to two teaspoons of prepared custard in the centre of each pastry square.

Fold the corners of each pastry square over the custard and gently press them down. Brush another layer of milk over the folded pastries.

Top each pastry with one to two teaspoons of compote or half a grape.

Bake the tray in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

Once baked, drizzle one teaspoon of honey over each pastry while they are still warm, and serve fresh.

Tips :

If you cannot find croissant dough, substitute it with puff pastry. Alternatively, you can make your croissant dough by laminating a yeasted dough. Roll out the dough and cut it evenly into 4-inch squares.

If you don't have custard powder, you can use cornstarch instead. Replace one tablespoon of custard powder with ¾ tablespoon of cornstarch. You can also prepare a regular custard using eggs; use half of an egg yolk. Be cautious while cooking, as egg-based custard can easily curdle.

You can use any fruit compote or substitute peaches for grapes. For a darker colour, opt for an egg wash instead of a milk wash.

If you'd prefer, you can drizzle the pastries with sugar icing instead of using honey. Mix half a cup of icing sugar with one tablespoon of water or milk to prepare the sugar icing.

Compiled by Surabhi Vasundharadevi, Social Media Reporter.