I think I've mentioned before that I bake as a form of stress relief. Yeah, I know it's weird. Some people eat, some people shop, some people work out or watch trashy reality TV. Well, I do all those things too. But the single most effective way to instantly relieve stress and clear my brain is baking. It's just a weird thing about me.
School started a week ago today. It should come as no surprise then that the stress-induced baking has begun. In full force, no less. An entire slab o' apple goodness one day. And the next? A couple of danishes. It's a good thing this is my last year of coursework or else I might have to buy bigger pants.
Although I don't make them often, there's something so satisfying about making danish. You take some relatively simple ingredients. In this case: ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, and puff pastry. You pop into the oven what looks like the lamest, most depressing breakfast of all time. And what emerges but the most flaky, golden brown, oozy, sweet pastry straight out of a stinkin' dream.
And, guess what? It's all so simple! All because of puff pastry. I feel that the masses desperately need to know the wonders of puff pastry. It is perhaps the single most under appreciated baking item of our generation. Ina Garten knows. She'll tell you. Puff pastry is the bomb diggity dog. Well, she wouldn't put it in those terms but she just really likes the stuff...and with good reason.
I know, I know. The finished product looks intimidating. What with the braiding and what not. But, I promise you, if you can braid hair, you can braid pastry. In fact, even if you can't braid hair, you can do this thing. Scope out that top picture. It's as easy as spreading the filling down the center and cutting each side into roughly eight 1" strips. Then just braid away. Easy as pie. Actually, easier than pie. Pie is kinda complicated sometimes.
And, here's the other great thing. If your braid isn't perfect, who cares? Because it's gonna puff up in the oven and look gorgeous and delectable. And then you're gonna coat the whole thing in glaze. And, most importantly, it's danish! Who cares how it looks? It tastes amazing!
Okay, so have a sufficiently motivated you to make this danish? Ok, good. Now I just have to figure out how to motivate myself to do some homework. Or maybe some lesson planning. Or really anything work/school related. Shoot, I'll probably just make some more danishes.
Ricotta Cinnamon and Sugar Danish
Filling:
4 Tbsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp white granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 Tbsp ricotta
1 box of frozen puff pastry, barely defrosted
2 Tbsp heavy cream (to brush on top)
Glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 Tbsp coffee, room temperature
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, place cinnamon, sugar, and salt; mix until combined. Add the ricotta and use a fork to combine everything together into a paste. Set aside.
Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry and roll slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s roughly an 11″ x 8″ rectangle. At an angle, slice off the top corners and cut two notches in the bottom. Slice 1-inch strips diagonally down both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the center uncut. Try to cut the same amount of strips on both sides. I had about 8 strips per side. Note: I do all of this on a piece of parchment paper to make the transfer to the baking sheet easier.
Add half of the ricotta filling, spreading it evenly down the center of the puff pastry. Fold in the bottom and top flaps. Braid the puff pastry, by folding the strips over the filling, alternating sides, until you’ve worked your way down the puff pastry.
Transfer the danish (and parchment paper) to a baking sheet, and brush top with heavy cream. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
While baking, make glaze by mixing confectioner’s sugar with coffee. Continue adding additional coffee until you glaze becomes a pourable consistency. When the danish comes out of the oven, drizzle top with icing and serve warm.
Yield: two medium danishes
In a medium bowl, place cinnamon, sugar, and salt; mix until combined. Add the ricotta and use a fork to combine everything together into a paste. Set aside.
Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry and roll slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s roughly an 11″ x 8″ rectangle. At an angle, slice off the top corners and cut two notches in the bottom. Slice 1-inch strips diagonally down both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the center uncut. Try to cut the same amount of strips on both sides. I had about 8 strips per side. Note: I do all of this on a piece of parchment paper to make the transfer to the baking sheet easier.
Add half of the ricotta filling, spreading it evenly down the center of the puff pastry. Fold in the bottom and top flaps. Braid the puff pastry, by folding the strips over the filling, alternating sides, until you’ve worked your way down the puff pastry.
Transfer the danish (and parchment paper) to a baking sheet, and brush top with heavy cream. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
While baking, make glaze by mixing confectioner’s sugar with coffee. Continue adding additional coffee until you glaze becomes a pourable consistency. When the danish comes out of the oven, drizzle top with icing and serve warm.
Yield: two medium danishes
Source: slightly adapted from A Cozy Kitchen
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