I’ve been holding out on you. I made these danishes back in full summer, but with their warm notes of spice and orange, they seemed too cozy and autumnal to share just then. But now, since yesterday was the Fall Equinox and Nate has already had to go up on the roof to clear off the maple leaves (that’s why it’s called “fall”, right?), it’s danish time!
Despite their crescent shape, these are danishes, not croissants. The difference (according to me, anyway) is that a croissant is a flaky, layered pastry with a soft, more bread-like interior, whereas a danish is made with more butter between the layers, making it crisper all the way through. These danishes also have swirls of spice and an almond-flavoured dough (plus browned butter), making them sort of like a cross between an almond danish and a cinnamon bun. Yeah, pretty yummy.
I assembled these late one evening to take to our friends’ house for breakfast the next morning. My brain was not functioning very well when I was rolling them up, and I forgot to sprinkle the dough with the spiced sugar mixture until after I’d already cut all the triangles, so you’ll have to use your imagination in the process pictures below because I did things the hard way (ie, sugaring each individual triangle… d’oh!) rather than the easier way that I describe in the recipe (ie, sugaring the entire rolled-out dough before cutting it). Either way though, these were really good and they disappeared quickly from the breakfast table!
Sugar & Spice Almond Danish Crescents
Adapted from Seven Spoons. Makes 12 crescents.
Quick Danish Dough
In a large bowl, mix together with a whisk:
1 1/2 cup bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
With a pastry cutter, cut in 1 cup cold unsalted butter, diced, until in pea-sized bits.
In a small bowl, mix together:
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the egg mixture in the middle. Stir together quickly (just until all the flour is incorporated) to combine into a shaggy, lumpy dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Before proceeding, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes to take some of the chill off. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out into a long rectangle, about 8″ x 14″, then fold it into thirds like a letter. Turn it 90˚so one of the short ends is facing you, roll out into a rectangle, and fold it into thirds again. Repeat 3 more times for a total of 5 folds, refrigerating as needed after folding if the butter starts to get too soft. Chill for about 30 minutes before assembling the crescents.
Filling
In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter and cook it until it browns and smells nutty. Pour into a bowl and set aside until cool but still liquid.
In a bowl, mix together:
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
the grated zest of 1 orange
11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
a good pinch of kosher salt
Set aside.
Assembly
Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 10″ x 20″ rectangle. Trim off the edges to make them perfectly straight, then (contrary to what is shown in the pictures) brush the dough with the browned butter and sprinkle it evenly with the spiced sugar, pressing the sugar gently to adhere it to the dough. Cut the dough into 6 rectangles, then cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal to make 12 triangles.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently stretch the triangle to make the long sides more equal. Cut a small notch in the center of the triangle’s base, then roll up the dough into a crescent, directing the first roll out towards each side to encourage a semi-circular shape. Place the crescents on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. OR, you can proof them slowly in the fridge overnight, then let them come to room temperature the next morning while the oven preheats (this is what I did).
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Brush the proofed danishes with an egg was (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water) and sprinkle the tops with some sliced almonds.
Bake the danishes for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
wendyjv says
They sound SO yummy. (Now that I have found some white spelt flour to play around with, I will have to try things like this.) Way to go, Korena! Another masterpiece!
Korena in the Kitchen says
Ooh, now I want to try it with spelt, too!
christinajane says
These seem way beyond my abilities – but you have inspired me to at least try. What’s the reason for wholewheat flour? I mean – awesome – but not common in pastry eh?
Korena in the Kitchen says
No reason for the whole wheat flour other than just to give it a little bit of texture, I guess. I find you can usually use some whole wheat in most pastry recipes without anyone noticing!
Do try! If you can make pie crust or bread dough, you can make these. The only “technical” part is the folding, and it’s pretty straight-forward if you keep the dough chilled and the surface floured.
Nieves says
looks delicious Korena !!! =D
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Nieves 🙂
Joanne T Ferguson (@mickeydownunder) says
G’day! Look delicious Korena, true!
Love your step by step as this really does inspire me to make too!
Wish could come through the screen and try one of these right now!
Cheers! Joanne
Korena in the Kitchen says
Thanks Joanne 🙂
marcellina says
Oh wow! Delicious! I must try these!
littlemissnihilist says
I use this recipe to make almond crescents. It’s a Danish one I translated into English.
What you need :
dough
20 g yeast
1 ¼ cups cream
1 tbsp. sugar
125 g of softened butter
300 g flour
1 beaten egg for brushing
coarse sugar for sprinkling
Filling
125 g of softened butter
150 g sugar
100 g finely chopped or ground almonds – like ground into almond flour
Method:
Dough: Stir the yeast into the cream , add sugar , butter and flour. Knead the dough together. Do not add more flour than indicated – the dough should be soft and barely escape the bowl sides.
Filling: Mix butter , sugar and almond flour into a smooth paste.
Crescents: Turn your oven to 220 ° C . Cover two baking sheets with parchment. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Sprinkle a thin layer of flour on your kitchen table , put a ball of dough on the table and sprinkle a little flour over the dough . Roll the ball out to a circle of approx. 25 cm in diameter. Cut out the circle into 4 pieces and place a small tablespoon almond filling on each piece of dough – a bit within the wide end .
Roll pieces of dough around the filling from the wide end and press the dough slightly to the ends , so the filling does not run out during baking . Repeat with the other dough balls. Place 8 crescents per baking sheet , brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let rise ½ hour in a warm place and bake for approx. 12 min . , Or until golden . Place them gently onto a wire rack to cool.
Korena in the Kitchen says
Yum, that sounds really good! Thanks for sharing 🙂