Recipes: Danish Pastry Coffee Cakes

Danish coffee cakes are the best of both worlds: a flaky laminated dough paired with decadent fillings. In this lesson, pastry chef and instructor Colette Christian demonstrates how to make a basic danish dough using a Biga. Biga is Italian for pre-ferment, or bread starter used in baking for sponges made with domestic baker’s yeast.

There are many benefits to using a Biga when making pastries such as adding additional flavor, increasing the strength of the dough, and extending the storage time for the final dough. The Biga made in this lesson takes 12-16 hours to develop, so plan ahead when considering making these pastries!

Download the Recipes

Once the Biga is ready, watch as Colette transforms this pre-ferment into a delicious laminated dough using a “two-thirds method” of incorporating the butter block. Then, she demystifies three classic danish shapes to create beautiful pastries you’ll be proud to share. The first of these shapes is the ladder which resembles a loose braid and filled with a flavorful apple filling with a butter streusel.

The next shape is the wreath, which starts as a ring but has a special twist that exposes a gorgeous maple walnut filling. And finally, the last shape is the Russian twist with almond nut filling with chocolate. This shape is baked in a loaf pan, and when sliced reveals a stunning swirl.

Download Colette’s recipes and try your hand at making these three deliciously beautiful Danish pastries.