Maple Danish

Looking into the depths of our pantry and the many flours I realized that we still had some Rye flour and that it was time to make something other than Rye bread with it. I remembered that the Good to the Grain book had a section on Rye flour and decided to take a look at the options.

Now Boyce states that Rye flour is not an easy one to use and work with but I was not going to let that stop me when I saw Maple danish pastries that looked delicious but also simple in flavors. Adding to that, the Maple season has just wrapped up and why not put some of the fresh crop to work. The only missing ingredient was maple sugar and we surprisingly found it at our local grocer.

This recipe is for a baker that understands that baking is not a get up at 11 AM and make something for brunch. The first portion needs to rest and develop overnight and then the baker needs to get up early for the proofing process. Get up early and you might have a pastry treat that has great texture and flavor. Probably one of the best pastries I have ever had, but I have to admit, I am not sure the rye flour brought much to the table. I will have to try this with white flour only and see if I notice any difference.

A few more words before moving onto the recipe. When you look at the mixture it really is a crumbly mess, but do not worry. I thought there was no way this could come together in a dough but as Boyce states in her book it does, and better than some other pastry batches I have attempted. The dough also does not rise that much during the proofing, but the end result will turn out as expected. Overall we gave the recipe 5 stars for flavor. Don’t be surprised if people ask you if they can have one of your cinnamon rolls as many in our household did.

Recipe

The Dry Mix (prepare night before)

1 cup rye flour
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen

The Wet Mix (prepare night before)

1 package plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
3/4c whole milk warmed to 100F
1 egg

Maple filling:

3 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup maple sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl, pouring back any bits of the rye whole grain flour that remain in the sifter. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the dry mixture as quickly as possible. Briefly stir together with your hands and chill while you continue with the recipe.

Mix the yeast, sugar and warm milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast bubbles. Thoroughly whisk the egg and then whisk the mix into the milk mixture. Stir this mixture into the dry mixture; it will be somewhat dry. Refrigerate overnight. (It is not pretty)

The next morning, remove the dough from the fridge and flour and flat surface (granite or marble is great). Form into a rough rectangle and roll into a rectangle about 9 x 15 inches. It will be a bit rough. Keep the longer side parallel to your body.

Fold the rectangle into thirds, like folding a letter (a “turn”). Roll out again, and repeat twice more for a total of three turns. The dough will soon soften and smooth out.

Cut the dough in half and roll each piece into a 12 X 8 inch rectangle. Rub the softened butter over the rectangles and sprinkle (pour) on the filling. Roll up the dough, starting at the shorter edge. Cut each log into 6 even slices and set to rise on buttered baking sheets, 6 rolls per sheet (I used parchment paper).

Cover with plastic and allow to rise for 2 hours. They will only swell unlike most yeast breads.

Bake at 425F for 15-18 minutes, or until caramelized and golden brown. Eat as soon as possible, best warm out of the oven. (note I cooked two trays at one time. I would recommend in the future to do one at a time of adjust for a convection cycle.)

Source: Boyce: Good to the Grain