Iced Strawberry Danish Braid

This recipe screams “try me,” so don’t be afraid.

You will need:

Pastry

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard package)

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar{{more}}

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

14 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

Egg Wash (1 large egg and 2 tbsp milk)

Strawberry Filling

2 and 1/2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp warm water

2 tsp cornstarch

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

Method.

Whisk the yeast and warm water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 3 minutes until foamy. Add milk, egg, granulated sugar, and salt. Set the bowl aside and make your butter/flour mixture. Cut butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a food processor or blender. Top with flour. Pulse the mixture 10-12 times, until butter is fairly crumbly or bring together with hand. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Very gently fold the two mixtures together. Fold *just until* the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces, which creates a flaky pastry. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Flour a work surface. The dough will be sticky, so make sure you have flour nearby as you roll and fold. Using the palm of your hands, gently flatten the dough into a small square.  From there, roll out into a 15” long rectangle using your rolling pin. You may have to continue to lightly flour the counter as you are rolling. Fold the dough together by thirds and roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. You’ll do this a total of 3 times. Fold up tightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half; leave other half refrigerated. Roll out your dough to make a 12×6” rectangle out onto a lined baking sheet. Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end. Spread 1/2 of the filling down the length of the centre of the strip. Cut slanting strips (3/4” – 1” each) along both sides. Bring the ends over each other to form braid. Fold the bottom end up to “seal” the filling in and allow the braid to rest for 15-20 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the dough and the rest of the filling. Preheat oven to 400o. Beat the egg wash ingredients together and brush the tops of the pastry. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pan at least two times to ensure the braid is browning evenly. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!

Tip – If you don’t want to make the filling, you can simply use any ready-made filling you desire.