This Easier "Danish Pastry" Recipe replaces the traditional laminated Danish pastry with my really easy 60 Second Brioche coupling it with the Viennese Braid technique which is equally easy to make. This Chocolate Raspberry Braid combines these two to produce a very professional looking finished pastry worthy of the name Danish Pastry. It's packed with flavor, perfectly balanced and indulgent.
This is perfect for anytime you want to make a great impression or for festive holidays. Since it can be done in its entirety, frozen, thawed and warmed, it is just the thing for an early morning breakfast, brunch, afternoon break or really anytime.
In my first book, "The New Pastry Cook", I used this filling with croissant pastry. When I started to think about what to do with Brioche pastry, this came to mind immediately. I used a cooked filling instead of raspberry jam because the jam has a tendency to leak out when it is in the oven. However, I have included instructions if you want to use jam instead.
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Brioche is a very versatile basic recipe for both sweet and savory. These recipes will get you started: Super Fast and Easy Brioche Rolls, Orange Bread Pudding, Twice Baked Brioche - A Breakfast Treat, Glazed Lemon Twists with Brioche, Lemon Gooey Butter Cake in a Brioche Crust, and a Blueberry Lemon Pizza in a Brioche Crust.
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A Word About Brioche
I could never understand the need to beat Brioche for 15 or20 minutes as so many recipes state. That can literally burn out a mixer. Whether you make in the processor with my 60 second version or in a mixer, it just doesn't need to beat that long. If using a mixer, 4 or 5 minutes max is all it needs.
Yes, it is one of the most enriched doughs to be made, heavy with eggs and butter but it has yeast which will make it rise. While the gluten in the flour needs to be activated by beating, it's just like other yeast doughs. Also, using bread flour like I do in this recipe, gives the yeast a boost. The only thing I can think of is it might be a carry over from the days it was created when mixers weren't around and this was done by hand.
I learned my brioche from a wonderful French pastry chef. This is much more of a batter than a dough. Because it is a slack dough it can't be kneaded by hand. To shape it, it must be refrigerated overnight to firm up the butter and make it easy to roll. Additional flour should never be added. To do that would ruin the texture as well as the taste. There are many versions of brioche but this one is the most delicious, best and fastest I've seen.
Recipe Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
Clockwise starting with the Raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, brandy and minute tapioca.
Brioche Ingredients
FRONT ROW: Instant yeast, salt, sugar and a pinch of sugar
MIDDLE ROW: Water, half and half and bread flour
BACK ROW: Unsalted butter, eggs
Chocolate Filling
Left to Right: Semisweet Chocolate, unsalted butter
Important Ingredients
- Frozen Red Raspberries are thawed and used for the filling. The liquid is saved for other uses.
- Instant yeast is best to work with the large amount of butter and sugar.
- Unsalted butter is used for it pure butter taste.
- Size Large Eggs are important to providing enough liquid to the recipe.
- The Chocolate is #811 Callebaut Callets. They look like chocolate chips but are pure semisweet chocolate.
- Minute tapioca is used because it thickens without becoming bouncy and it allows the item to be frozen and thawed in its original condition. Cornstarch breaks down if frozen and then thawed.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients & instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Brioche
Please see 60 Second Brioche to make the dough. This needs to be done the day before and refrigerated overnight. It can be held in the fridge up to 3 days before using.
Raspberry Filling
Step 1. Thaw the raspberries very well. Place them in a strainer or sieve and drain them very well. This can take a couple of hours or you can press down on them with a spoon. Step 2. Place them in a sauce pan with the brandy, lemon juice, sugar and tapioca. Place over medium heat ad bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute. Cool completely, cover and chill overnight, Step 3. Alternatively, to chill the filling quickly, spread it in a half sheet pan and cover the top with plastic wrap. It will be ready use by the time you prepare the rest of the recipe. If in doubt, place the pan in the fridge. Step 4. Remove the chilled dough and roll it into a 10 ½" x 14" rectangle on a lightly floured surface. This should be done fairly quickly as the dough will soften. Place it on a baking sheet with the 10" side vertical to the cookie sheet (not a half sheet pan as the sides need to be open). Chill or freeze it briefly to continue.
Step 5. Trim the edges to straighten them. In the photo above, I have not placed it on the cookie sheet, but moved it after I cut it. It is best to trim it on the cookie sheet so it doesn't get out of shape. This step facilitates moving it in and out of the fridge or freezer without getting it out of shape if it gets too soft to work. Step 6. Without cutting through the dough, mark it 3" in from the edge on top. Step 7. On the same side of the dough, mark it 3" in on the bottom. Step 8. Lay a ruler between the two marks and mark a line straight down. Again, do not cut through the dough. Repeat on the other side of the dough leaving a 4" center strip of dough unmarked.
Step 9. Combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl. Heat it in the microwave on half power or over hot water and stir to mix together. Cool. Step 10. Spread it down the center of the dough. Chill briefly to set the chocolate. Step 11. Spread the raspberry filling over the chocolate. Step 12. Mark, but do not cut through every inch down the side of the dough on both sides.
Step 13. Cut the 1" pieces up to the center fillings. Step 14. All of the strips of dough should be cut on both sides. Step 15. Start the braid by bringing the first strip on the left side over the filling, pointing it down slightly. Brush the tip with water. Step 16. Continue down the braid, folding the strips over making sure the edges are brushed with water to ensure they adhere to each other.
Step 17. Fold the nest to the last strip of down down, leaving the bottom left and right strip. Step 18. Fold the left strip straight across, brush with water and fold right strip straight across also. Step 19. Chill it just until firm enough to transfer to a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. This is how it should look when completed. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rise until doubled. Step 20. When ready for the oven, brush it lightly with a beaten egg and sprinkle it with sliced almonds. Double pan and bake as directed.
Recipe FAQS
Wienerbrød – Danish Pastry Braid.
Regular braided dough uses strands of dough that are rolled into long strips and then braided with 3,4 5 or more strips by intertwining them. Danish braids are made from one piece of dough which is cut from the sides at 1" intervals and then folded over the filling from the left and then the right so there is no intertwining and the pastry remains flat.
Brioche is one of the prized French breads. It can be made into bread loaves, rolls, used in pastries both sweet and savory. It is an enriched dough using eggs and a considerable amount of butter.
Expert Tips
- When making the brioche, the eggs and butter should be cold.
- The sponge is used to form a dough of optimum gluten development because rich doughs can take a long time to rise. Yeast is a microorganism. It is able to use carbohydrates to develop and produce carbon dioxide that makes the bread dough rise. By using a sponge the number single cell living organisms is increased dramatically cutting the time need to rise as well as baking up higher doughs.
- Due to the high butter content of the dough, it needs to be worked cold. Moving it in and out of a fridge or freezer makes it easy to work with.
- A thick raspberry jam can be used instead of the cooked filling by keeping it about a ½" from the top and bottom of the dough. This should help contain the leaking problem.
- Make sure to wet the edges of the dough when braiding it so they don't pop up when baking.
More Elegant Pastries for You
If you love this Easier Danish Pastry Recipe, It would be hugely helpful and so appreciated it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you.
Easier Danish Pastry Recipe
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- Pinch granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups bread flour (315 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, (170 grams or 1 ½ sticks)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup half and half
Raspberry Filling
- 24 ounces frozen, unsweetened red raspberries (680 grams)
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar (100 to 150 grams)
- 2 teaspoons minute tapioca
Chocolate Filling
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (60 grams)
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, (10 grams)
Instructions
Brioche - see 60 Second Brioche.
Raspberry Filling
- Drain thawed raspberries very well. Reserve the juice. I usually put mine in a strainer over a bowl and let them drain for several hours.
- In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, brandy, lemon juice, sugar and tapioca.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute. Cool completely, cover and chill overnight. Alternatively, to chill the filling quickly, spread it in a half sheet and cover it with plastic wrap. It will be ready to use in about 15 to 20 minutes.
Chocolate Filling
- Melt the chocolate and butter together. Cool if hot, but make sure it is still spreadable.
- To make this easier, please refer to the photo for the cutting and assembly instructions.
- After chilling overnight, Roll the dough into a 10 ½" x 14 ½" rectangle. Trim it to a 10"x14" rectangle.Place it on the parchment lined pan with the 10" side of the dough vertical on the baking pan. If at any point the brioche softens, refrigerate or freeze briefly to firm up.
- Without cutting the dough, mark the dough on both sides 3" in from the 10" side on the top and bottom. Connect the marks so a straight line runs from the top to the bottom on both sides. This will leave a 4 inch section marked off in the middle.
- Spread the chocolate evenly over this 4 inch section but do not cross the lines. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer to harden the chocolate. This will take minutes. Do not freeze the dough.
- Spread the cold raspberry filling over the chocolate.
- Mark both sides of the dough into 1 inch horizontal strips, just up to the filling on both sides.
- Cut the strips up to the filling.
- Starting at the top, fold the first left strip of dough in and over the filling, then slightly down. Brush the tip with water and cross the first right strip over it. Continue folding the strips in the manner until the bottom is reached.
- Fold the last 2 strips straight across the bottom to seal the braid. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise until doubled. This can take 2 hours or so if the room is cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the braid with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Double pan and bake in the upper third of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack.
- To make ahead: Bake, cool, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature on a rack . Place on a baking sheet and heat in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.
- This Danish pastry is best eaten the day it is made or thawed from the freezer and heated but can be covered and kept at room temperature for a day or so.
Notes
Nutrition
Robin says
The 60 second brioche dough uses 1.5 tsp instant yeast and 315 grams flour, but the Easier Danish Pastry uses 1 tep instant yeast and 350 grams flour. These differences would make different doughs. Which is correct?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Robin, Evidently, I used the measurements from the original recipe I made not the updated one. Thank you for this. Both will work, one is just a bit lighter.
Robin says
Thanks Helen!
I have one other recipe detail question. For the raspberry filling, you say to use 24 ozs or 340 grams frozen raspberries. 340 grams is about 12 ounces. So do I need 12 ounces or 24 ounces?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi again Robin. It is 680. By the time it thaws really well and then cooks, the volume is reduced substantially. I have checked the amounts again and the instructions and all looks good.
Catherine says
Wonderful! Thank you Helen. I can hardly wait to try this recipe.
Happy Holidays!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Catherine, I think you will enjoy it. Be sure to check out the recipe again. I corrected 2 ingredients. While the original ingredients for the briochee will work just fine, the updated dough is a bit lighter.
elaine says
this recipe i have not made as yet but i love the broken down steps and photos making it so much easier to follow & make. i was wondering if you have a recipe for any kind of a walnut filling. thank you, anxiously awaiting a response!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Elaine - go the the European Nut Roll with Three Filings. One of them is walnut.
Elaine says
just went to the European nut roll recipe. it was so nice to see other recipes i grew up with as my ethnicity is Serbian thru & thru. it was a pleasant surprise to learn your parents were from the former Yugoslavia! Home made baking was such a staple growing up and to this day i continue the tradition thank you for posting your amazing recipes!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Elaine - I learned to bake from my mother and grandmother. Wonderful memories of hearing them chatter in their native language while they cooked and baked. There are more recipes such as the Serbian Walnut cookies, Kifle, Apple Strudel and while not quite Serbian, the best Baklava. It's a bit different but oh, so good.