December 9, 2008 - 8:21am
Danish help
I'm trying my hand at danishes. I used the straight dough formula out of Suas' book. I added a bit of flour to the butter to make it more pliable. During the last turn, the butter oozed out ever so slightly out of the dough, so I quickly put it back in the fridge to chill it before I could finish. I refrigerated the dough over night, then finished the dough this morning. When I took it out of the oven (and I admit I'm just using my kitchen oven with no stone or steam), the danish still were flaky with defined layers (although I think the flakiness was predominately in the topmost layers), but there was a huge pool of butter on the pan. I assume this means I did something wrong, but I'm not sure what. Can anyone help me?
SOL
Share
I don't think you did anything wrong. You do use a lot of butter in Danish, so it's natural some of it would ooze out during baking. When I find butter showing while I'm rolling and folding, I dust it with some flour before refrigerating, or chilling it, before going on with the recipe. If this is your first time making Danish, I'd say you were doing extremely well.
post the formula and the rolling in method
how meny turns and fold type a 3 or 4 fold
From Suas' book, Advanced Bread and Pastry:
Bread Flour (I used KA A-P): 100%
Milk: 46%
Sugar: 12%
Eggs: 11%
Osmotolerant yeast (I used regular instant at 2%): 1.3%
Butter: 3%
Butter for roll-in: 27% I added 10% of the butter weight in flour for plasticity. (And because I'm a beginner at danish.)
I mixed at speed 1 for about 2 minutes, just enough to get everything evenly blended. The book recommends an improved mix, but I was afraid of too much gluten development. I fermented an hour at room temp, about 68 degrees, then into the fridge for an hour. The butter and dough were between 54 and 59 degrees for the three single folds. The only time they deviated from these temps is when I had a bit of butter ooze out. After the third fold, I refrigerated the dough overnight. This morning, I shaped them and let them proof for about 1.5-2 hrs at 68 degrees. I baked them for 15 mins at 415, no convection, no steam, no baking stone. When I was glazing them, they were on a sheet pan on top of a thick book on top of the stove. At the time, I didn't think that area was especially warm but I wonder if it was warm enough to cause the butter to melt a bit.
I appreciate your help.
SOL
First off, I agree with the above post that says if this is your first time, it sounds like you did well.
You didn't state your lock in / laminating procedure, but this might be the culprit as far as the oozing and pool of butter. Forgive me if you already know this stuff.
The butter and dough are supposed to be the same consistency but not the same temperature (especially in the beginning) or you end up with oozing or ripping of the dough. This compromises the layers which of course is the most important part of a puff, croissant, or danish dough. Your method of turning and lock in are the the remedy for all of this. When I work on a dough like this, the dough comes out of the freezer, and the butter comes out of the fridge. The butter like it would be after being at room temp for 15 minutes. After I lock in or do turns, it goes into the freezer to cool it quickly, then back out to do another turn. I don't know how Norm or Suas does it, but the idea is to keep things as cold as you can handle so layers don't get compromised.
Don't know if that helps at all.
-Mark
get a stronger flour bread flour is right and yes you can mix it the dough is ferv soft and it will not over mix . just dont beat the hell out of it for a long time 5 to 10 minutes in a mixer should be fine
the dougy MUST be keeped cold at all timesafter the 2 turn put it in the fridg for one hour then roll and turn and back in the fridg for 30 minutes or an hour then the lasy turn brush with oil and cover over night
you cannot let the dough sit over night and give another turn because the butter will cet hard and break as well as the dough has risen by that boint and you will over work the dough and the yeast
tri doine 1 single or 3 fold followed by a 4 or dubble fold fridg it then repete 1 3 fold 1 4 fold and your done
i will be making my danish dough for the holiday in a day or two
ps bake danish between 350 and 3 85 no hotter
After I thought about it a while, I realized that I was probably not rolling the dough out right or enough--blame it on a sore palm. I'm going to try again today, and hope it goes better.
SOL