If you like yuzu as much as I do, this yuzu Danish recipe is for you! These pastries are buttery and flaky and oh so yummy!
This Danish pastry is a shortcut version. The butter is worked directly into the dough, which is different from laminating it with separate layers of butter. Who likes a shortcut? I do!
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Here’s Why You Will Love Yuzu Danish
Customizable: If you don’t have yuzu jam on hand or are not a fan of yuzu, you can substitute the center with your favourite filling, such as lemon curd, strawberry jam or even Nutella.
Delicious: This yuzu Danish recipe is crispy, flakey and extra buttery!
Great for making ahead of time: You can make this dough in 1 morning or over the course of a few days.
Versatile: You can also freeze half of the dough if 16 pastries are too many or make 8 pastries and 1 beautiful braid.
Equipment and Tools to Make Yuzu Danish
Pastry blender or food processor: To incorporate the butter into the dough.
Large bowl: To mix everything together
Measuring spoons and cups: To measure seasonings and other ingredients
Kitchen scale: For accurate measurements
Rolling pin: To roll out the dough.
Pastry brush: To apply an egg wash for a beautiful finish on the pastry.
Baking sheet: Make sure it is rimmed as the butter melts quite a bit and you don’t want any of that spilling into the oven floor.
Ingredients
Water: Warm water is required to bloom the yeast.
Yeast: Active dry or instant yeast will work for this recipe.
Sugar: Sugar sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
Milk: Room temperature milk at 1%, 2% or homo milk are all good options.
Egg: Room temperature egg is required.
Salt: Balances the flavour of the Danish.
Unsalted butter: The colder the better. If the butter isn’t cold, the dough won’t have any layers or flakes in the pastry.
All purpose flour: You need flour in the dough, plus a generous amount for the rolling, folding, and shaping steps.
Yuzu jam: Add a nice pop of flavour to the Danish center.
Yuzu Danish Options and Substitutions
- Here are some different filling ideas: jams or preserves (such as raspberry, strawberry or peach), lemon curd, cherry pie filling, cream cheese, Nutella
- Instead of making the typical round Danish pastry, try a beautiful braid instead.
- Don’t have whole milk? You can use 1% or 2% and the pastry will still turn out.
- Instead of an egg wash, you can brush heavy cream of half-and-half cream instead.
- Finish the yuzu Danish with a dusting of icing sugar or a vanilla icing (1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla).
How to Make Yuzu Danish
Let’s make yuzu Danishes!
Bloom yeast. Whisk the warm water, yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar together in a large bowl. Rest for 5-10 minutes until foamy on top. Whisk in remaining sugar, milk, egg and salt. Cover and set bowl aside as you work on the next step.
Cut in butter. Cut the cold butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a large bowl. Top with 2 and 1/2 cups flour. Use a pastry cutter to work in the butter until butter is crumbled into pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the mixture 15 times.
Assemble the dough. Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and gently fold until the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces because it creates a flaky pastry. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours, up to 48 hours.
Roll & Fold: Take the dough out of the refrigerator. It will have slightly puffed up and it will deflate as you shape it. Generously flour a work surface because the dough is very sticky; use as needed. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a 15×8 inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise and roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise. You’ll repeat rolling and folding 1 more time for a total of 3 times.
Rest dough. Wrap dough with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the dough at this point for up to one month.
Shape into Danish rounds: Cut the first half of dough into 8 even pieces. Refrigerate the other half or freeze for a later use. Roll each into balls and flatten into a 2.5 inch circle. Use your fingers to create a lip around the edges. Press the center down to flatten as much as you can so you can fit the filling inside. Remember that the center puffs up as it bakes. Arrange pastries 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough if you are making all 16 pastries.
Get ready to bake. Add 2 tsp yuzu jam to the center of the Danish followed by an egg wash on the edge. Chill the shaped pastries in the refrigerator, covered or uncovered, as you preheat the oven.
Bake. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Some butter may leak from the dough and that’s expected. Oven times vary.
Finish. Cool 5 minutes before serving and icing (optional)
Storage and Reheating Tips
Cover leftover pastries and store at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freeze baked pastries for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
Reheat pastries in the microwave for a few seconds until warm but my favourite way is to reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer so it’s nice and crispy again.
Make Ahead Options
After rolling and folding the dough, you can freeze the dough for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and continue by shaping them into Danish rounds. I have done this before and it turned out perfectly!
Recipe Tips
Halving the recipe? I recommend making the entire pastry dough recipe and freezing the other half for later. One recipe makes 16 Danishes or 8 Danishes and one braid.
Be sure to use cold butter. Cold butter ensures pockets of flaky pastry. The colder the butter, the better for the dough.
If you do not have a pastry cutter to work in the butter, use a food processor. Pulse 15 times until the flour and butter resembles pea-sized coarse crumbs.
You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does yuzu taste like? Yuzu is an aromatic and tart citrus fruit that has flavours of orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit.
Can yuzu be eaten raw? They are edible raw. They can also be dried, cooked, frozen, candied and preserved. The zest and juice are commonly used to flavour dishes similarly to how other citrus fruits are used.
What goes well with yuzu? Yuzu is commonly used in Japanese cooking, particularly baked with scallops, simmered into ramen broth, used as a dip with sushi and even in a refreshing drink!
Is yuzu healthy? Yuzu contains vitamin C and other nutrients.
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Lastly, if you make my Yuzu Danish, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a star rating! I love to hear from you guys and respond to each and every comment. Also, don’t forget to tag me @cookwith.chopsticks and #cookwithchopsticks on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you have made makes me sooooo happy! You can also follow along on Facebook and Pinterest.
Yuzu Danish
Equipment
- Pastry Blender
- Large Bowl
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Kitchen scale
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Sheet rimmed
Ingredients
Danish Pastry Dough
- ¼ cup water (60mL) warm
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast
- ¼ cup sugar (50g) divided
- ½ cup milk (120mL) room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 15 tbsp unsalted butter (200g) cold
- 2½ cups flour (300g)
Filling
- ⅔ cup yuzu jam
Egg wash
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Vanilla Icing (optional)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Danish Pastry Dough
- Bloom yeast. Whisk the warm water, yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar together in a large bowl. Rest for 5-10 minutes until foamy on top. Whisk in remaining sugar, milk, egg and salt. Cover and set bowl aside as you work on the next step.
- Cut in butter. Cut the cold butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a large bowl. Top with 2 and 1/2 cups flour. Use a pastry cutter to work in the butter until butter is crumbled into pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the mixture 15 times.
- Assemble the dough. Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and gently fold until the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces because it creates a flaky pastry. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours, up to 48 hours.
- Roll & Fold: Take the dough out of the refrigerator. It may have slightly puffed up and it will deflate as you shape it. Generously flour a work surface because the dough is very sticky; use as needed. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a 15×8 inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise and roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise. You’ll repeat rolling and folding 1 more time for a total of 3 times.
- Rest dough. Wrap dough with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the dough at this point for up to one month.
- Shape into Danish rounds: Cut the first half of dough into 8 even pieces. Refrigerate the other half or freeze for a later use. Roll each into balls and flatten into a 2.5 inch circle. Use your fingers to create a lip around the edges. Press the center down to flatten as much as you can so you can fit the filling inside. Remember that the center puffs up as it bakes. Arrange pastries 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough if you are making all 16 pastries.
Fill and brush egg wash.
- Get ready to bake. Add 2 tsp yuzu jam to the center of the Danish. Brush the egg wash to the edges of the pastry. Chill the shaped pasties in the refrigerator, covered or uncovered, as you preheat the oven.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Some butter may leak from the dough and that's expected. Oven times vary.
Optional icing
- Finish. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Finish pastries with a dusting of icing sugar or drizzle some icing (mix 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla) over warm pastries.
I made these and I want to pop several of them in my mouth. It was so good wow
Thanks for trying the recipe. Well worth the time and patience.