Danish – Yeast Pastry with Vanilla Cream and Fruit with homemade pastry cream

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Dough base

1. 1
   Dissolve the yeast and tsp of the sugar in the lukewarm milk and leave about 10 minutes, until the mixture foams.

   💡If the mixture doesn't foam in that time, the yeast is no longer active, or the water was too hot. Start over with fresh yeast and body-temperature water.
2. 2
   Mix the flour, rest of the sugar and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
3. 3
   Add the yeast mixture, the eggs and the butter and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
4. 4
   Cover and Let rise 1 hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.

To assemble

1. 5
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 6
   Roll out the dough 10 mm thick and cut into 8 cm squares.

   Rolling pinKnife

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
3. 7
   Heat the milk to just below a boil.

   StovePot
4. 8
   In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and starch.

   BowlWhisk
5. 9
   Pour the hot milk in a thin stream into the mixture, whisking constantly.

   Whisk

   💡The hot liquid goes into the eggs slowly while whisking, and only about a third of it in the first batch: that way they warm gradually and don't turn into scrambled eggs.
6. 10
   Return to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and bubbles in the center, then cook 1–2 more minutes.

   StovePot

   💡Stir nonstop until it bubbles: only then does the starch thicken fully, and the cream won't turn runny later.
7. 11
   Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and let cool.

   BowlPlastic wrap
8. 12
   Put a teaspoon of the pastry cream in the center of each square, fold the corners toward the center and press the edges together well.

   💡A teaspoon of filling per round, no more: the dough rises in the oven, and an overfilled pastry splits at the seam and the filling leaks out.
9. 13
   Arrange the pastries spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

   Baking panParchment paper
10. 14
    Cover with a towel and Let rise for 30 minutes, until the pastries puff slightly.

    Plastic wraporKitchen towel
11. 15
    Beat the egg and brush the pastries with it.

    Pastry brush
12. 16
    Bake 15–18 minutes, until the pastries are golden.

    OvenBaking pan

    💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
13. 17
    Place the strawberries on the baked pastries.