Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (2024)

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Flaky danish sourdough pastries with cream cheese and jam filling and drizzled with a glaze makes the most decadent dessert or breakfast.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (1)

This is not one of those recipes you will be making on the daily (like sourdough tortillas, bread, or pancakes), but an extra special treat that everyone will be raving about.

Over on YouTube and my podcast, I talk a lot about how homemaking is never boring. There is always something to do, something to learn, and a new skill to cultivate. And learning to make these sourdough danish pastries was a new and fun skill to master.

Sourdough croissants became a staple in the house a little while ago, and one day I just had a thought to try my hand on making danish pastries. Maybe it was a pregnancy craving. The baby needed pastries, how could I say no? And they are to die for.

The flaky pastry with layers of butter filled with a delicious filling and drizzled with a sweet glaze. So good. And they can be totally customizable.

Switch up the fillings. Fresh berries, lemon curd, jam and cream cheese are my favorites.

It takes a little time (ok a long time), a little patience, and a good amount of butter. But it is totally worth it.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (2)

Tips:

  • During lamination you don’t want the dough to get too warm, so you want to work fairly quickly. The butter will just melt into the dough rather than creating the flaky layers. If the butter does get too warm, you can stick it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes and then continue working on the dough.
  • The dough and the butter should be about the same temperature. This is so when you are laminating the dough the butter doesn’t push out.
  • This recipe uses natural yeast to give the danish dough rise. If you are totally new to sourdough, make sure to check out how to make a sourdough starter here.
  • Sourdough isn’t just for bread! You can check out over a hundred sourdough recipes here on the blog. From breakfast, to dessert, and everything in between.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosurehere.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (3)

FAQ:

What makes Danish pastry different?

Danish pastry is leavened by yeast, whereas puff pastry doesn’t include yeast and is leavened by steam.

What is the difference between croissants and Danish pastries?

Croissant dough and Danish pastries are very similar. The only difference is that danish pastry dough includes eggs since it includes a filling it needs to be able to hold the filling.

Is Danish pastry dough the same as croissant dough?

They are almost identical except that danish pastry dough is more of an enriched dough (like brioche) and includes eggs.

Sourdough Danish Pastry Ingredients:

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (4)

Dough

All purpose flour

Sugar – Cane

Sourdough starter– You want this to be bubbly and active. Fed within 4-12 hours and has about doubled in size.

Whole milk – This is an enriched dough, so whole milk is preferred for the fat and flavor content.

Egg

Vanilla extract – Homemade or store bought. It is super easy to make your own homemade vanilla extract.

Salt – Preferably sea salt, real salt, or pink Himalayan salt.

Butter for laminating

Unsalted butter – You want to use unsalted for this recipe so you can control the salt.

All purpose flour

Cheese filling

Cream cheese – Softened. Preferably full fat.

Sugar

Egg yolk (I like to use the yolk that is leftover from the egg wash)

Lemon juice

Vanilla extract

Other Filling ideas:

Lemon curd

Pie filling

JamPeach and strawberry are my favorite.

Fresh berries

Egg wash

Egg white, beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon cold water

Glaze

Confectioners’ sugar – This creates a really nice smooth consistency.

Milk – Any kind will work

Vanilla extract – You could also substitute with another extract if desire. Lemon, almond, even cherry. Choose something that would go nicely with the flavors of your filling.

Pinch of salt

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Could also use a hand mixer for creating the cream cheese filling.

Rolling Pin

Baking sheet – I like these stainless steel baking sheets

Pastry brush

Parchment paper

Large bowl

How To Make Sourdough Danish Pastry

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (5)

Create the dough

Add the flour, sugar, sourdough starter, milk, egg, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth and glossy. You can also easily do this by hand. Mix and knead to make a shaggy, sticky dough. Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes

Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, foil, or a beeswax wrap and place in a warm spot for about 4 hours.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to continue fermenting for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.

Laminating the dough with butter

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (6)

To roll the butter block out into a 6 by 8 inch rectangle, place the sticks of butter on a large piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle it with flour.

Fold the parchment paper around the butter, so that the butter will fill the entire envelope once you roll it out. You are aiming for a butter block that is 6 inches by 8 inches. It doesn’t need to be too precise here. You just want to make sure the pastry dough can entirely encase the butter when you roll it out for laminating.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (7)

Tap out the butter with a rolling pin lightly to start to spread the butter, then roll smooth.

Chill the butter for 10 minutes. You want the butter to stay nice and cold to create the flaky butter layers. Too warm and it will just smush out. Cold butter is essential.

Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (8)

Roll it out into a 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (9)

Place the butter packet in the middle of the dough. Fold the edges over, so they meet in the middle and completely encase the butter. Pinch the middle seam and sides closed, so none of the butter can escape.

First fold

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (10)

Roll the dough, with the butter sealed inside, back out into a 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

Fold each side into the center again; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough. (See picture)

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Second fold

Roll the dough out into another 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

Again, fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

At this point in the folding process there should be layers upon layers of dough and butter

Make the pastries

Roll out into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle.

Cut in thirds down the center lengthwise.

Divide the three long strips each into 4 equal parts (We are going for 12 4” by 4” squares.)

Place the 4 corners into the middle and press with your finger to seal.

Place in a warm spot and allow to rise until puffy, about one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (11)

Create the cream cheese filling

While the oven is preheating, create the cream cheese filling.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium-low speed until well combined.

This makes a small batch of cream cheese filling, so that you don’t have a whole lot leftover. I like to fill a few with cream cheese filling and do some of the others with only jam. I mix it up!

Place the danish pastries onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with an egg wash.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (12)

Add a tablespoon of your desired filling into the center of each pastry. I love a combination of the cheese filling and jam, preserves or pie filling. You will use about a tablespoon of filling in each pastry.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (13)

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with glaze.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (14)

Storage:

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe ziploc bag. Remove as much air as possible.

More Of My Favorite Sourdough Recipes:

  • No-Knead Sourdough Bread
  • The Best Sourdough Pretzels
  • Easy Sourdough Discard Bagels
  • Same Day Sourdough Bread Recipe
  • Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboonewith your delicious creation.

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (15)

Danish Sourdough Pastries

Flaky danish sourdough pastries with cream cheese and jam filling and drizzled with a glaze makes the most decadent dessert or breakfast.

4.55 from 42 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 16 hours hours

Total Time: 17 hours hours

Servings: 12

Author: Lisa Bass

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour 420 grams
  • 1/4 cup sugar 50 grams
  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter bubbly and active (113 grams)
  • 3/4 cup whole milk 183 grams
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams

‌Butter for laminating

  • 16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 2 sticks or 227 grams
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 9 grams

Cheese filling

  • 3 oz ‌cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk I like to use the yolk that is leftover from the egg wash
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling ideas:

  • Lemon curd
  • Pie filling
  • Jam

‌Egg wash:

  • 1 large egg white beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon cold water

Glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 120 grams
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Add the flour, sugar, sourdough starter, milk, egg, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth and glossy. You can also easily do this by hand. Mix and knead to make a shaggy, sticky dough. Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes

  • Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, foil, or a beeswax wrap and place in a warm spot for about 4 hours.

  • Place the bowl in the refrigerator to continue fermenting for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.

Laminating the dough with butter

  • To roll the butter block out into a 6 by 8 inch rectangle, place the sticks of butter on a large piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle it with flour.

  • Fold the parchment paper around the butter, so that the butter will fill the entire envelope once you roll it out. You are aiming for a butter block that is 6 inches by 8 inches. You don’t need to be too precise here. You just want to make sure the pastry dough can entirely encase the butter when you roll it out for laminating.

  • Tap out the butter with a rolling pin lightly to start to spread the butter, then roll smooth.

  • Chill the butter for 10 minutes. You want the butter to stay nice and cold to create the flaky butter layers. Too warm and it will just smush out. Cold butter is essential.

  • Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface.

  • Roll it out into a 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

  • Place the butter packet in the middle of the dough. Fold the edges over, so they meet in the middle and completely encase the butter. Pinch the middle seam and sides closed, so none of the butter can escape.

First fold

  • Roll the dough, with the butter sealed inside, back out into a 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

  • Fold each side into the center again; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough. (See picture)

  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Second fold

  • Roll the dough out into another 16 by 8 inch rectangle.

  • Again, fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough.

  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 2 hours up to 12 hours.

Make the pastries

  • Roll out into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle.

  • Cut in thirds down the center lengthwise.

  • Divide the three long strips each into 4 equal parts (We are going for 12 4” by 4” squares.)

  • Divide the 4 corners into the middle and press with your finger to seal.

  • Place in a warm spot and allow to rise until puffy, about one hour.

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  • While the oven is preheating, create the cream cheese filling.

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium-low speed until well combined.

  • Place the danish pastries onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

  • Brush with an egg wash.

  • Add a tablespoon of your desired filling into the center of each pastry. I love a combination of the cheese filling and jam, preserves or pie filling. You will use about a tablespoon of filling in each pastry.

  • Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

  • Allow to cool for a few minutes and then drizzle with glaze.

Video

Notes

  • Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe ziploc bag. Remove as much air as possible.
  • During lamination you don't want the dough to get too warm, so you want to work fairly quickly. The butter will just melt into the dough rather than creating the flaky layers. If the butter does get too warm, you can stick it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes and then continue working on the dough.
  • The dough and the butter should be about the same temperature. This is so when you are laminating the dough the butter doesn't push out.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 633IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Danish Sourdough Pastries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous Danish pastry? ›

Traditional Danish pastries

In Denmark, these world-famous sticky delights are called Vienna Bread (wienerbrød), as they were first made in Denmark in the 1840s by Austrian bakers.

Why is my Danish pastry dough tough? ›

Richard's solution: Tough pastry is very common, but easily avoidable. It usually occurs when you've been a bit heavy-handed with the water when you're initially bringing the pastry together (by adding water to the flour and butter), or if you have over-worked the dough and developed the gluten in the flour.

What is the secret to sourdough? ›

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

What is the difference between puff pastry and Danish dough? ›

DIFFERENCE PUFF PASTRY

First of all Danish pastries contain a high level of fat: 40%. The second difference is that Danish dough contains yeast and that isn't the case for puff pastry. This is the reason that after baking, puff pastries contain a more airy structure and a more crispy bite.

What is a Danish pastry called in Germany? ›

To this day, pastries inspired by these "suitcase bakers" are known as Kopenhagener Geback (Copenhagen-style pastries) in Germany, Kopenhageners in Austria, and, of course, simply Danish in most of North America and Great Britain.

What is the real name for Danish pastry? ›

In Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, the term for Danish pastry is wienerbrød (or wienerbröd), meaning "Viennese bread".

Why is it important not to knead croissant or Danish dough too much? ›

Too little kneading results in poor structure, and the dough will tear as it undergoes the lamination process. Too much kneading results in dough that is tough, difficult to roll out, and rubbery. Knead your dough by hand or on a low speed in a stand mixer with the dough hook.

Can you buy ready made danish pastry dough? ›

Mantinga - Danish Pastry Dough in Sheets (with Yeast) 500g.

What creates the most tender pastry? ›

I like to use pastry flour because it contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and therefore creates a more tender crust, but all-purpose flour will work just fine if that's what you have on hand.

What not to do with sourdough? ›

Here are the big errors to avoid when working with sourdough.
  1. You Bake Too Soon. ...
  2. You Use Unfiltered Tap Water. ...
  3. You Use Water That Is Too Hot or Too Cold. ...
  4. You're Impatient. ...
  5. You Don't Autolyse Your Dough. ...
  6. You Don't Let Gluten Develop Properly. ...
  7. You Don't Let the Bread Proof Long Enough. ...
  8. You Don't Form the Bread Correctly.
Apr 1, 2022

What is the best flour for sourdough bread? ›

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour.

What makes sourdough taste better? ›

The sourdough starter is the real secret to getting a good fermentation going. Essentially your sourdough starter is old dough, which has already pre-fermented and contains Lactobacillus culture. Lactobacillus culture has a sour taste and is an active culture that lives off natural yeast spores from the air.

What is the famous Danish pastry called? ›

Specifically, the famous Danish pastry wienerbrød was first developed by Austrian bakers who immigrated to Denmark during a worker's strike. Other European desserts, such as profiteroles and riz à l'impératrice, have inspired the development of Danish desserts.

Can I use croissant dough for Danish? ›

The easiest way is to use croissant dough for danishes, but I wanted something lighter, sweeter and flakier. A few attempts and tada… the recipe is ready for you to enjoy. The dough can be used for danishes, cheese pockets, Kringle, or anything of that nature.

What is a Danish pastry called Copenhagen? ›

Our Copenhagen pastry is made in the traditional dutch style. A layer of puff pastry, custard and raisins topped with an all butter danish and filled with our own almond filling. Icing on top.

What is the most famous dessert in Denmark? ›

The Brunsviger

The most mouth-watering of all Danish delicacies, the brunsviger is a cake of crater-filled dough, drizzled by a thick layer of brown sugar and butter. This delicious concoction of sugar and fat soaks into the spongey cake, making for a delicious, moreish and sticky teatime snack.

What is the most famous Scandinavian pastry? ›

The Most Popular Swedish Fika Pastries
  • Cinnamon or cardamom buns (Kanelbulle or Kardemummabulle) ...
  • Chocolate biscuits (Chokladbiskvi) ...
  • Raspberry caves (Hallongrotta) ...
  • Chocolate or Arak balls (Chokladboll or Araksboll) ...
  • Cream buns (Gräddbulle) ...
  • Semla buns (Semla or Fastlagsbulle) ...
  • Lucia buns (Lussekatt)

What is the national dish of Denmark? ›

The "national dish of Denmark" is stegt flæsk - pieces of pork, fried until crisp, and then served with boiled potatoes and parsley sauce.

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