Flaky danish sourdough pastries with cream cheese and jam filling and drizzled with a glaze makes the most decadent dessert or breakfast.
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.
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 disclosure here.
FAQ:
Danish pastry is leavened by yeast, whereas puff pastry doesn’t include yeast and is leavened by steam.
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.
They are almost identical except that danish pastry dough is more of an enriched dough (like brioche) and includes eggs.
Sourdough Danish Pastry Ingredients:
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
Jam – Peach 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
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.
Danish Sourdough Pastries
Video
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.
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Lisa!
I am so excited to try this recipe! I just wanted to mention that if the sourdough rises too high and happens to get in contact with the foil that’s covering it, it will cause a reaction with the foil, leaving behind little flecks of aluminum in the dough. This happened to me and it was sad to have to toss it out and start over.
My dough laminated beautifully and I was really pleased, until I baked them. The parchment paper started to smoke and butter was pooling around each pastry. I was able to salvage the danish, but they needed way more than 15 minutes to bake. The filling ran off onto the pan so I had to spoon more preserves on them when they came out of the oven. It’s a good recipe but it needs a few tweaks.
Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that. Pastries can be difficult and if something is off a little, it may not turn out exactly. Some butter leakage is expected, but it sounds like you had excessive. Glad you were able to salvage them.
Hi Lisa! Have you done your puff pastry recipes with like whole stone ground flour? I know that would affect the kneading time and so on, but was curious if you’ve had any success with it.
I haven’t yet!
Tried it today! I used 100% stone ground whole flour as well as honey instead of the sugar and maybe a tablespoon more milk. By accident (but I would do it this way again) I had about a 30 minute “autolyse” after initially mixing the dough and before kneading.
I tend to have butter leakage issue with any puff pastry, and I read an above comment about resting, so I just incorporated a rest any time it seemed like the dough was shrinking back to make sure the gluten wasn’t too tense, and it seemed to help! Much less leaking butter. They turned out great and with such an interesting flavor 🙂 Thanks for all the fab recipes!
Yay! That is wonderful to hear. Glad to hear it worked with stone ground flour.
Let me start by saying I LOVE all of your recipes. My family has enjoyed so many yummy treats and breads from your blog. Today was my first time making these danishes. During baking, it seems like all the butter leaked out. Is that normal? I followed all of your steps as closely as possible so I’m not sure what happened. I made sure the butter went in the fridge after making its packet. Thank you!
So glad you enjoy so many of the recipes! Some butter leaking is normal. If it is a lot my guess is that something happened during the lamination process, that the butter and dough were not the right temperature and the layers didn’t form properly causing the butter to leak that much.
Excited to try this one! So I have to use plastic wrap or can I use foil or ziplock bags? I don’t buy plastic wrap but have ziplock for the occasional need.
I’m sure a ziplock bag would work just fine. Just press out as much air as possible.
My husband loved these and I sent a half dozen down to Sheridan for her and her husband to share. He is in a care home and does not get many treats.
I had trouble with the third rollout and could see the butter breaking into sections according to how it was folded. It did not come through the dough though. They rose beautifully with nice layers. But the fillings fell out during the rise. They looked messy.
The glaze was very thick and next time I will try 4 TB of milk and not two. But overall a huge hit and not as much work as I anticipated. I am a 60 YO empty nester and have enjoyed following your channel for ideas – after 25 years of home educating! Love my sourdough and I bake often for others – I eat Lion Diet because of serious health issues and can’t eat even the long ferments yet.
Sent them with a FRIEND whose husband is in a care home. Not MY husband!
Is the cream cheese filling part of the recipe enough to fill each danish or will I run short? I prefer the cream cheese filling over jam fillings.
I doubled the recipe for the dough but I still had enough cream cheese mixture for all of them so you should be fine!
Hello! I’ve been using sourdough starter for a few months and have been enjoying your recipes, especially the pumpkin rolls. I tried making these Danish pastries, but unfortunately it created a dangerous situation in our home. I wanted to let you know so hopefully this won’t happen to anyone else.
When baking the pastries on a flat baking sheet as shown in the photos, the butter started dripping over the side. Enough butter dripped off the pan to pool at the bottom of the oven and after only 9 minutes of baking a roaring fire started in the back of the oven. I immediately turned off the oven and kept it closed and after 3 or 4 minutes the fire had burnt itself out. Of course, the house was full of smoke and everyone was on full alert. Now I know if I ever try this again to use a pan with a tall lip to catch the butter.
I don’t see any butter on the parchment paper in your photo after baking. Do you know how you were able to not have this problem? It’s possible I did something wrong, but I don’t know what it was.
Thanks for your help!
Oh my! That is scary. Glad everything turned out ok. Some butter leaking is normal. If it is a lot my guess is that something happened during the lamination process, that the butter and dough were not the right temperature and the layers didn’t form properly causing the butter to leak that much.
I had issues with butter leaking too and was so disappointed! I used the wrong oven setting too, so they didn’t brown and they looked like they had been deep fried from sitting in a pool of butter. I did a little searching and found that if you end up pulling at the dough at all instead of rolling it out, there’s something to do with the amount of gluten and the dough needing more time to chill in the fridge for the final roll out. I’ll be trying it again to see if that fixes the issue!
Oh my word, just found this on accident. WOW! I feel super intimidated but I definitely want to try this! You are incredible, Lisa.
Thank you for the kind words! Can’t wait for you to try this one!
Hi Lisa! This looks amazing! I wanted to see what your thoughts would be about converting this to an einkorn all purpose flour? Thanks so much!!
I have not tried this with einkorn yet, but that is something to think about for the future! There would most likely need to be adjustments made if you wanted to use einkorn. If you try it, let us know!
Amanda,
I ran out of all purpose flour after one cup and used two cups all purpose einkorn. And it turned out great! Though not as pretty as Lisa’s. I also use the dry sourdough starter method instead of the wet and Lisa’s recipe still came out wonderful. A seriously impressive treat!
I’ve made these twice now and both times had an excessive amount of butter leak, despite perfect lamination. I’ve been making croissants for a year so I’m pretty confident with my laminating. The only difference in laminating techniques is mixing the flour in with the butter vs sprinkling flour on the butter before rolling out.
My first batch I baked the way the recipe called, the next batch I baked 5 min at 400* before adding the filling. After adding the filling I baked 15 min at 400*. If you try this, I want to note that my pastries on the cookie sheet, the bottom burnt. The ones on the pizza stone were fine.
The taste is incredible! Just need to figure out the leaking butter situation.