We're going to try the from scratch refrigerate overnight method. My brother sent the Danish recipe and I have the croissant recipe from Paula Peck's The Art of Fine Baking. Daughter's pick. Will keep u posted. Thanks for the ideas and encouragement!! It's tradition ...

I also recommend frozen puff pastry. That is something that is really made well. I would rather use the time and effort making something else that is special, that really calls out for making from "scratch".

The doughs are similar and differ in ways that make them different. Most people find it easier to make Danish dough but both take patience and skill that probably require making the dough several times to get the hang of it. Your daughter will have a skill that many people don't have and the end product is worth it.

If it's a traditional Danish yeast pastry dough with butter folded in and rolled out several times, the answer is yes, if the dough will NOT be filled, as for croissants. You can shape the croissants, place then on parchment-lined baking sheets, wrap them in plastic (I put each sheet inside a 13-gal. trash can liner) and refrigerate. This will also work if you're making Danishes with a blob of filling on top of a square of dough.

If the dough will be filled, as in a braid, the better option is to wake up early in the morning to shape, fill and let the dough rise. My experience has been that cold filling weighs down the bottom of the dough, but allows the top of the dough to rise; after baking, even if the dough is allowed to sit at room temperature for an hour, there's a huge gap between the top of the dough and the filling. It still tastes good, though.

The dough can be refrigerated for up to four days before the final shaping.

Would you and your daughter consider using frozen puff pastry? I'll do almost anything from scratch, but wouldn't feel bad about a little shortcut here. Or maybe she could tweak the family tradition by making cinnamon rolls. They could rise in the fridge overnight.