ye olde bread blogge

Take 625g of flour, 500g of sweet butter, sugar, a little yeast, salt and water. Proceed according to following plan. Also, invite the health-food person, who thinks you’re a whole-grain baker, for some fun.

Danish Pastry Dough (makes about 20)

• 625g strong white flour
• Approx. 350g warm water
• 20g fresh yeast
• 75g sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 500g high-quality butter

1. Dillute the yeast, together with the salt and the sugar in the warm water.
2. Refrigerate dough and butter for 1 hour.
3. Roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring about 60×30cmxcm. Position rectangle so the long side is facing you. Cut the butter into 5×5cmxcm thin squares and distribute it onto two thirds (left or right side is your choice) of the dough.
5. Fold the remaining piece of dough onto half of the buttered side. Then fold the remaining buttered portion on top of everything else. Seal edges by pressing down on them.
6. Carefully roll out to a rectangle the same thickness as before. It will be slightly bigger than in the preceeding step.
7. Roll out the dough, fold as above and chill for one hour. Repeat this process once more. Refrigerate overnight..
8. Roll out the dough to the same thickness as above. Cut into 12×12cmxcm sqzares. Fold in the edges and press down in the middle. Prove at room temperature for 2 hours.
9. Put 1-2 tbsp of the filling into the center and brush with eggwash. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.
10. Let cool for 10 minutes, then apply sugar glaze.

Apple-Sultana Filling

• 4 big apples
• 100g sultanas
• 50g water

Peel and core apples, then cut into chunks. Soften them a little by heating them with the water, simmering for about 5 minuets. Add sultanas. Let cool

For the sugar glaze, stir in a couple of tsp of hot water into 100g icing sugar.

Source: Paul Hollywood: 100 Great Breads