Vegan Danish Pastries

Ah, my Danish Granny would be proud!

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I have been wanting to try Danish pastry for awhile now, I do miss them now and again but figured it would be way too difficult or impossible, after all, the butter is rather necessary. I was also daunted by all that folding in of butter thinking it wouldn't really work with margarine as it's too soft. Anyway I was looking through my favorite baking book, "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book" by Beatrice Ojakangas and she had a 'quick method' Danish pastry. Instead of folding in cold butter you cut it in like you would a pie pastry and then just do a few folds after the first rise. This seemed to be a lot easier and I decided to use shortening in place of the margarine as it would be firmer and stay colder.

Well, they turned out fab! The texture isn't like traditional Danish pastry, of course not without butter and eggs, but equally delicious! These were my first attempts and I can't wait to try more styles. I got most of these ideas from the fantastic pastry baking blog Joe Pastry - it's seriously fantastic, with step by step photos on how to fold and shape everything. I just worked in the kitchen with my laptop open to his blog and worked away :) I'll post the pastry recipe here then instructions for the individual styles below.

Quick Method Vegan Danish Pastry:
255g plain flour (2 cups)
135g chilled shortening (3/4 cup)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast ( 1 package)
60ml warm water
60ml soy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
20g egg replacer
50ml water

Measure 225g (1 3/4 cups) of the flour into a large bowl add the egg replacer and mix well. Set aside. Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and set aside for 5 minutes until it gets foamy. Whisk in the cream, salt, sugar and extra water. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture roughly until about the size of kidney beans. Add the liquid to the dry and stir with a rubber spatula until just moist. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

Measure out 30g ( 1/4 cup) of flour and dust the work surface. Take the dough out and using the extra flour gently form into an 8" square. Fold into 3rds like you would a business envelope, turn the other way and fold into 3rds again until you have a square again. Repeat this 3 times finishing with an 8" square, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30min or overnight.

Remove dough from fridge and cut in quarters, working with 1 quarter at a time roll the dough out 1/4" thick and cut this into quarters. Most of the shapes below start off from 1 square.

The Cheese Danish

56g tofutti cream cheese
1 Tbsp caster sugar
1/8tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
3 tsp cornflour

Mix all together well and chill. Next take 1 dough square and place a heaping teaspoon of the 'cheese' filling in the middle. Bring the 2 points together and seal, then the other 2 together and seal with some of the cheese filling. Place on a baking paper lined sheet and brush with the cornflour mixture, cover loosely with cling film and leave for about 1 hour at room temperature until a bit puffy. They won't double.

Classic Sweet Roll

This one is the most complicated to form. You'll need some vanilla buttercream, I made a tiny batch of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World's vanilla buttercream. Using half your dough roll out to a rectangle 1/4" thick. Spread the buttercream over half and fold it over towards you. Cut 1/2" strips from this and slightly elongate the strips. Twist the strips up and then twirl them around in a circular shape. This is very hard to describe but Joe Pastry shows step by step photos for this. When formed place on a baking paper lined sheet, brush with the cornflour mixture, cover loosely with cling film and leave to get puffy, again, about an hour. When ready, make a little bigger hole in the centre and spoon in raspberry jam.

The Pinwheel

Using one the dough squares cut lines in to the dough from the corners to almost the centre. Fold the cut points up to the centre and gently press down to seal, forming a star shape. Place on a baking paper lined sheet and brush with the cornflour mixture. Cover loosely with cling film and leave to get puffy for about an hour. When ready make an indent in the centre with the back of a spoon and then spoon in some raspberry jam.

The Bear Claw

This one was also featured in my Scandinavian Baking Book and is usually filled with an almond paste. As I already had too much on the go I just filled this one with chocolate chips but will certainly try the filling next time. Taking one of the dough squares place your filling down the centre in a strip. Roll the dough over sealing the end with some of the cornflour mixture. Cut 'toes' into the leftover dough and then bend the whole pastry back till it's curved. Brush with the cornflour mixture, cover loosely with cling film and place on a baking paper lined sheet to get puffy for about an hour. When ready to bake press almond slices into the 'toes'.

Maple Pecan Plait

Now this one I may have to get back to you on as I haven't tried it yet and my filling was a complete test! When I try it I'll post the recipe if it was a success, if not - back to the kitchen for me:) Take half of a quarter of the dough and roll out 1/4" thick in a rectangular shape. cut slanting cuts into both sides of the rectangle leaving the centre plain. Spread the filling down the centre then take the strips and fold them over creating a braid. Brush with the cornflour mixture leave on a baking paper lined sheet, cover loosely with cling film and leave for about an hour until puffy. When ready to bake sprinkle with chopped pecans and if you have it, maple sugar.

**Edit - see comments for filling recipe!**

Well, it's kinda a Pain au Chocolat!

Yes, this was supposed to be a pain au chocolate. It doesn't look like one and the pastry isn't like one but it is very, very good in it's own right! I'll have to think up a new name for it, chocolate cigars maybe? Anyway, taking one of the dough squares lay chocolate chips down the centre and fold the top over, then the bottom then place seam side down on a baking paper lined sheet. Brush with the cornflour mixture, cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour to get puffy.

Cinnamon Swirls

These ones I weren't too happy with, they taste great but they are really just like mini cinnamon buns, not like the cinnamon swirls I used to get from bakeries. For some reason mine stayed quite thick and didn't cook down. They still taste great of course, just wasn't what I was expecting! Using half of a quarter of the dough, brush with melted vegan margarine and sprinkle on dark brown sugar, some cinnamon and chopped pecans. Roll up towards you and cut into 4 slices. Tuck the end bit underneath and place on a baking paper lined sheet. Brush with the cornflour mixture cover loosely with cling film and leave to get puffy for about an hour.

The Envelope

Yeah, that's supposed to be an envelope, not a cross!! It was my last piece of dough and didn't really turn out very well. I couldn't possibly describe how to form this one so have a look at Joe Pastry's website for the step by step instructions. When ready, place on a baking paper lined sheet and brush with the cornflour mixture, cover loosely with cling film and leave to get puffy for about 1 hour. When ready spoon raspberry jam in to the centre square and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Cornflour Mixture:
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Mix the cornstarch with a bit of water to make a paste. Add the rest of the water then pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil until it looks glassy. Let cool.

This is a great egg wash replacer courtesy of the PPK forums (thanks to cperry!)

Almond Icing Drizzle:
icing sugar
soy cream
almond extract

No quantities here, just add enough of icing sugar and soy cream until drizzly - you want it to run off a fork. Be careful not to add too much almond extract, you don't need much.

Apricot Jam Glaze:
100g apricot jam
20ml water

Stir together then heat up in the microwave - about 20 seconds. Push through a fine sieve and use warm.

**For all of the pastries, cook in a 190C oven for about 13 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and while still on the baking paper transfer to a wire rack. Brush generously with the warmed, sieved apricot jam then move directly to the wire rack to cool. When cool drizzle some with almond icing and sieve some icing sugar over some.**

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