Croissant and Danish Doughs

Croissant and Danish Doughs have many similarities in ingredients and preparation methods. They differ, however, in ratios and application of ingredients. Danish dough contains a higher percentage of fat and other enriching ingredients, which give finished pastries using this dough flakier layers. Danish dough is commonly used to prepare individual as well as larger cake-style pastries, while croissant dough is used only to produce individually sized items.

1. Prepare croissant and Danish doughs as directed. Croissant and Danish doughs are laminated using the same principles as apply when making puff pastry; the only difference is that these two doughs have the additional leavening power of yeast. The addition of yeast to a laminate dough results in pastry that is tender and soft inside, rather than crisp like puff pastry.
2. To work with croissant and Danish dough after they are completely prepared, keep the dough chilled, taking out only the amount you can cut, fill, and shape in a relatively short time. If the dough starts to warm as you work with it, you may lose some of the flaky, delicate texture that is the hallmark of a well-made Danish or croissant. The delicate and flaky texture desired of this product is created by maintaining distinct layers of fat and dough throughout the process; warm dough may result in overly softened butter that oozes out of the layers during rolling.
3. Use a sharp knife when shaping or cutting the dough. Clean cuts will ensure that the baked item rises evenly. To keep cuts even and straight when cutting by hand, use a straight edge as a guide. Pastry wheels are helpful when cutting large quantities of dough. Croissant dough may be cut using specialty cutters. As the pastry is cut, you may create scraps or trim. These scraps can be reserved and rerolled for use in pastries where high, straight rise is not critical. Scraps should be layered flat on top of each other, preserving the layers of fat and dough, and then rolled and stored under refrigeration or frozen.
4. After Danish or croissant dough has been filled as desired and shaped, the pastries are pan-proofed until nearly double in volume. Typically, they are lightly coated with egg wash. Depending upon the shaping and filling technique, Danish dough may be brushed with a clear fruit glaze or gel after baking for even greater moisture, flavor, and visual appeal.