I'm breaking my rule against weekend posting, but it's for a good reason--the completion of my first Daring Bakers challenge. After a long debate, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and join the Daring Bakers. I was a little hesitant about joining because I favor simple baked goods, and the group tends to do the opposite, taking on complex challenges in hopes of expanding participants' skills in the kitchen. I figured it wouldn't hurt to add some structure and motivation to my culinary homeschooling and to test myself once a month, so I signed up.
June's challenge, which was hosted by Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What's Cooking?, was a Danish Braid adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. The recipe wasn't too difficult, but as with all things involving yeast, it required a lot of time and waiting. The Danish dough is layered, so there was much folding to achieve this effect. Four instances of folding to be exact. In between each folding, the dough had to be chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then rolled out into a large rectangle. Fortunately, it was the weekend, and I had nothing planned other than watching live Wimbledon coverage all day.
For the filling, I went for an apple filling for both braids. I like danishes and usually order cream cheese ones whenever I'm feeling indulgent, but I'm the only one the family that likes that flavor. With parents who don't like things that are overly sweet, I felt the apple filling would please everyone eating.
And it did. One Danish Braid was more than enough to feed my family for breakfast; by the time we finished our last bite, we were actually tired of the pastry. I could have done with more apple filling, and the pastry crust could have been crispier. I might have taken the braid out of the oven too soon because the dough inside was a tad soggy. The texture of the pastry was different than any other danish I have ever had; it was less flaky and was somewhere in between bread and puff pastry. I'm not sure if this is right or not, but it worked for my family. The braid didn't gain any big fans, but my family liked it. Plus, it sure looked pretty...
For the recipe, visit Kelly and/or Ben. Enjoy the last of the weekend!
{ member of... }
Welcome! My name is Cecilia, and I'm a graduate student just trying to cope with the stress of school by adding a bit of sweetness into her days.
I'm a novice in the culinary arts, so this blog is like a notebook where I keep track of my progress as I become acquainted with the kitchen. Hopefully, my adventures will inspire you to do the same with your own kitchen.
more about me and sucre
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What a scrumptious looking slice. Yum, with orange juice. Yum.
What a sensational slice of pastry... great job!
Congrats on finishing your first DB challenge! Your braid looks great.
that filling looks so good - i will def use apple next time. great job!
Your braid looks wonderful. I agree, next time I will make morw of the apple filling.
Thank you, you all! Even though the braid already had orange juice in it, a glass of OJ was a nice complement.
Welcome to the Daring Bakers! Your braid looks fantastic :)
That apple filling. Mmm. I dismissed it because apples aren't in season yet, and berries are. But, boy oh boy, you sure make that apple filling look fabulous!
I wish mine had more filling, too, but was really worried of it all coming out of the braid.
Beautiful picture by the way!
Your apple danish braid looks so delicious, it makes me want to make it again. My husband ate the last of it in hiding!
Nice photo!!
You're right that it's somewhere in between bread and puff pastry. I enjoyed it. Yours looks great!
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
I stopped over earlier today but now I have a chance to comment - congrats on your first DB challenge! I really enjoyed it - I must have rolled my dough thinner because I got 4 rolls.
Also, I took a Wilton class years ago, but I just get alot of practice by making cakes for my kids birthdays!
Wow, it looks perfect... like it belongs in a magazine. Great job and welcome to the DB!
Absolutely wonderful. You did an awesome job.
Yay! Welcome to the Daring Bakers. You did a terrific job on this challenge :) Your danish braid looks awesome.
Congratulations on your first DB challenge! your braid looks beautiful :)
Good job on your first challenge! And good for you on stretching yourself. I didn't get this done in time for Sunday breakfast but used it on Monday AND Tuesday!
Welcome to DB! I'm loving that last photo.
Beautiful! Great job!
Great job! Your first challenge was a big success! It looks so tasty!
Welcome to the group!
Looks yummy!
Hannah
It sure looks good, and welcome to the Daring Bakers!
Thank you so much for the warm welcome, you all!
It looks absolutely delicious! Great job.
Look at all those beautiful layers! Well done!