Recipe: Danish Pastry and Bear Claws

DANISH PASTRY
Source: Shirley Schwaegerle

4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups butter or margarine, divided
1 pkg yeast
3/4 cup warm water (85 degrees)
2 eggs, beaten

Mix together flour, salt, sugar. Cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine with pastry cutter. Continue blending with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Add eggs and yeast mixture to dry ingredients and mix only enough to form a dough that holds together. Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 min. until chilled.

Meanwhile beat the 1-1/2 cups butter or margarine until creamy.

Roll chilled dough into a rectangle about 3/8-inch thick. Dot 1/4 of the whipped butter over 2/3 of rectangle. Fold the unbuttered 1/2 over the buttered middle third; then fold over the other buttered 1/3, making 3 layers.

Turn the dough 1/4 turn and roll out to 3/8-inch thick rectangle. Dot with second 1/4 of the whipped butter and fold as before. Repeat this process twice more each time using 1/4 of butter. Wrap the dough loosely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Roll chilled dough on lightly floured board to 3/8-inch thickness. Cut and shape as directed for rolls or coffeecakes.

BEAR CLAWS

1 recipe Danish Pastry Dough
BUTTERCREAM FILLING:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
ALMOND FILLING:
1 egg, beaten, divided
4 ounces almond paste
TOPPING:
Sugar
Chopped almonds
Cinnamon-sugar mixture

BUTTERCREAM FILLING:
Cream together 1/4 cup margarine with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Set aside.

ALMOND FILLING:
Beat egg with a fork. Measure 1/2 of beaten egg and mix with almond paste and remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar until well blended. Set aside.

Divide Danish dough into thirds. Refrigerate 2 of the thirds.

TO PREPARE EACH THIRD:
Roll dough on lightly floured board into a 24-inch strip. Cut strip in half.

Using half of strip, spread center 1/3 with layer of butter-cream filling; top with thinner layer of almond filling.

Fold up one side; brush edge with water; fold up other side; pinch to seal; brush away flour from board and sprinkle with sugar and chopped almonds.

Brush top of folded dough with water and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Turn over onto sugar-almond mixture; roll lightly with rolling pin.

Brush top with water; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and turn this onto sugar-almond mixture. Roll lightly with rolling pin.

Cut this strip into 6 rolls; cut each roll partially through at 3 intervals, making 4 'fingers'; squeeze bottom section lightly to separate the 'fingers'. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Repeat process with second half of dough.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and drizzle lightly with thin icing.

Repeat whole process with remaining dough.