Wienerbrød

About This Recipe

The global phenomenon of 'Danish pastry' began with a labor strike. In 1850, Danish bakeries hired Austrian and German bakers to replace striking workers. These foreign bakers brought their technique for laminating dough with butter — folding fat into the dough in many layers to create a flaky, croissant-like texture. This technique was new to Denmark and the resulting pastries were called 'Wienerbrød' (Vienna bread). Danish bakers learned the technique, then simplified and sweetened it, creating what became known internationally as 'Danish pastry.' In Denmark, there are over a dozen recognized Wienerbrød shapes, each with specific traditional fillings.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 250 mlcold milk
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 50 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 largeegg
• 250 gcold unsalted butter(for laminating)
• 200 gpastry cream or remonce (marzipan butter)(for filling)
• 100 gicing sugar(mixed with water for glaze)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, egg, and milk into a shaggy dough. Knead briefly — do not overwork. Chill 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Prepare the butter block

   Pound cold butter between parchment sheets into a flat 15x15cm square. Keep cold.

3. 3

   Laminate the dough

   Roll dough into a large rectangle. Place butter block in the center. Fold dough over butter. Roll out and fold in thirds (letter fold). Repeat 3 times, chilling 20 minutes between each fold.

4. 4

   Shape and fill

   Roll dough to 5mm thick. Cut and shape into spirals, pockets, or envelopes. Fill with pastry cream or remonce.

5. 5

   Proof and bake

   Let rise 45–60 minutes until puffy. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 200°C for 15–18 minutes until golden.

6. 6

   Glaze

   Brush with icing sugar glaze while still warm.

Variations

• •

  Fill with cinnamon butter for a classic 'snegl' (snail shape)

• •

  Top with almond paste and sliced almonds

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten fresh same day. Keep at room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze unbaked shaped pastries up to 1 month.

Frequently Asked Questions