Learn how to create decadent Danish pastries at home! Certified executive pastry chef Colette Christian shows you it's easier than you think. First, discover the secrets to the perfect laminated, yeast-risen dough, including how to build a butter block faster than ever. Then, make your mixer work for it, and create luscious fillings for three popular Danish pastries: cream cheese, streusel and bear claw. Plus, Colette shows you how to make fillings on your stovetop, from classic cherry to thick pastry cream. Next, put your filling where your pastry is, and make impressive designs, including pockets, pinwheels and envelopes. Discover the importance of proofing your Danishes, and get Colette's tips for tasty garnishes, such as nappage and powdered sugar. And, learn how to avoid waste by putting those delicious pastry scraps to use in twists, lunettes, monkey bread and more.
Danish Pastries From Scratch
Trailer
01: Making the Dough
Meet Colette Christian, an expert baker and your guide to delicious Danish pastries. Start at the building block of any sweet treat: the dough. Colette shows you how a plastic bag can hasten the construction of a butter block, then offers a tip to ensure your Danishes stay light and fluffy.
02: Locking In the Butter
Butter is what gives Danish pastries their flaky glow -- and it's a big part of what makes them so delicious. Learn how to lock in your butter block with Colette as she uses her preferred two-thirds method, then watch as she makes multiple turns to get a satiny, smooth dough.
03: Fillings With the Mixer
If you've got a mixer, you've got the ability to make your own decadent fillings. Colette shows how to make three of the most popular Danish fillings: cream cheese, streusel and bear claw. Plus, if you're feeling adventurous, she also offers tips on how to create some ingredients from scratch.
04: Fillings on the Stovetop
Stovetop or store-bought: Colette is an equal opportunist when it comes to filling her Danishes, as long as they taste good. She'll show you how you can make your own delicious varieties -- in this case, cherry filling and thick pastry cream -- using tools already in your kitchen.
05: Shaping Fresh Dough: Basic Designs
Colette shows you where and how to use the delicious fillings you've bought or made. Watch as she creates three designs from scratch: pockets, pinwheels and envelopes. Worried that dough will move around too much in the oven? She's got a tip for that, too!
06: Shaping Fresh Dough: Advanced Designs
With Colette's help, "advanced" becomes easy. Learn to make frames, the classic French design abricot and bear claws. Colette shows you how a simple karate chop can become a key technique!
07: Proofing, Baking & Garnishing
Your Danishes are almost done! Watch as Colette demonstrates the last step before the oven, proofing, while showing you the difference between a Danish that's ready to bake and one that's not. When she takes them out, see how an expert garnishes with nappage, powdered sugar and icing!
08: Creative Uses for Dough Scraps
For this final lesson, take your leftover dough and let Colette show you how to make the most of those scraps. Watch as she whips up twists, lunettes, snails and monkey bread to produce creative designs that look and taste just as good as anything you'll find in a bakery.
Overview Course No. 70160
About
Colette Christian is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. In 2004 she began teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and now offers classes throughout the U.S. She has extensive training in baking and pastry and is a certified executive pastry chef as well as a certified executive chef through the American Culinary Federation.
