Danish Braid!

I'm getting adventurous in the kitchen day by day.For the past one week my oven was working hard ....

I was just baking,baking and baking!When I was going through the blogs,I happened to come across this interesting pastry 'Danish Braid'.It looks difficult to make but I was craving to taste them.So without giving a second thought I rolled up my sleeves and got into action.It doesn't demands rare ingredients but a huge amount of hard work.I made a very large braid and they vanished in few moments...yeah,they tasted so delicious!I got this recipe from Urban feed which I tweaked a bit ..
I used green apples for filling.But you can even use strawberries,apricots,peaches,blueberries or spiced potatoes or anything you like..Just experiment!



For the dough:
2 tsp of dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
A pinch of baking powder
2 1/2 cups Maida or All purpose flour
1 cup butter in room temperature
1 tsp oil






Whisk together egg,milk and sugar.



In a food processor,blend 1/2 cup butter,salt,baking powder and 2 cups of flour.


Add the yeast solution,egg mixture into the flour and turn on the processor.The flour will combine together.Add the rest of the flour and turn on the processor .The dough will gather as a ball..


Scrape the dough and place on a work surface.Sprinkle some flour and knead for few mins.Apply oil and cover with cling wrap and allow to ferment for few hours.




For the filling:
2 apples
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp lime juice


Core and chop the apples into small pieces..


Add the sugar,lime juice ,vinegar and 1/4 cup water to the apple pieces and microwave for 10 mins.Drain excess liquid and allow to cool.

For cream:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp fresh cream
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp milk

Whisk cream,corn starch and sugar well.Microwave for 1-2 mins.Beat the egg yolk and add to the hot mixture.Combine well.Add the milk and blend well to get a smooth creamy texture.Microwave for 30 seconds.


Cover this cream with cling wrap and set aside.


Gently release the air from the dough and roll out into a large rectangle.Spread the remaining half of the butter.


Fold the rectangle from top towards you as shown..


Fold the bottom half placing on the folded top half..as shown..



Place this on a parchment paper and gently roll out them again into a large rectangle.Do not worry about the butter oozing out(If you have patience refrigerate the dough for 30 mins,so that butter will be hardened and you can roll them mess free) .Place the apple filling in the middle of the rectangle.With a knife make slanting cuts on either side of the filling as shown in the picture..



I spread some Cinnamon flavoured apple sauce on it.If you don't have this,no problem!Just mix some cinnamon powder to the apple filling.


Gently spread the cream on top of the apple sauce..


Bring bottom center strip up .Bring the right strip to the center .Place the left strip above the right strip.Continue criss-crossing like this as shown in the figure like making a braid..



Once finished braiding ,sprinkle some sliced almonds in the middle of the braid.Beat an egg white and brush on the braid.Cover this and allow to sit for 20-30 mins..


Bake in a 180 C preheated oven for 20 mins or until golden brown...



A cross sectional view ..



You can also make a glaze with milk and confectioner sugar and drizzle on it before serving.But I'm so impatient to try this out so I skipped this...

Slice and serve..

Cinnamon rolls..

Cinnabon's Classic Cinnamon roll..

Inspired to make like the one above..and what I got was this...




I tasted the cinnamon roll for the first time in Cinnabon's and immediately after having the first bite I fell in love with it..It was soft,moderately sweet and perfectly coated with the glaze..
I badly wanted to try this at home( I know,this is a daring attempt)..So I browsed for the recipe in the internet and found one easier and which didnt call for the eggs..It wasn't so soft as the Cinnabon's but tasted good..Here it goes..



You will need:
5 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast dissolved in 1 cup of lukewarm water
2 1/4 cup milk(lukewarm)
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 cup + 2 tsp butter(at room temp)
A pinch of baking soda
1 cup equal amount of brown sugar and white sugar + 2 tsp of white sugar
1 tsp salt
For the glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract



Mix together 3 1/2 cups of flour ,milk,yeast water,salt,baking soda ,2 tsp butter and 2 tsp of white sugar using a wooden spoon.


Add the remaining flour and knead well with you hands until the dough is shiny.Use more flour if required.Add a tsp of oil to prevent sticking in hands..


Knead well for 8 mins and cover with a cloth .Allow to sit for 2 to 3 hours.The dough will be raisen..


Gently punch and let the air out and roll out into 1/2 inch thick circle..



Mix the brown sugar,white sugar ,cinnamon powder and half of the butter.


Apply the remaining butter on to the rolled out dough into a thin layer and spread the cinnamon filling evenly.


Roll them to a log as shown..



Cut them into 1 inch pieces..
Preheat the oven for 250 C and bake for 10-15 mins or until its slightly browned..


Mix the icing sugar,vanilla extract and water to make a thin paste ..

Drizzle them on the baked cinnamon rolls and allow to cool them on rack..



Serve them with a cup of coffee or tea!



I sprinkled some icing sugar on it..It tasted pretty good..The whole home was having the aroma of cinnamon when it was baking...

A close look at it...


Im sending a batch of Cinnamon rolls to Sunita's Think Spice ..think favourite (Cinnamon) event!