Christmas
Cherry-Almond Danish
Popular on Food52
35 Reviews
Julie M.
April 17, 2020
I'm not a huge fan of rum; does it have a very rummy taste?
What other dark spirits do you think would work well in this?
How do you think bourbon would do?
What other dark spirits do you think would work well in this?
How do you think bourbon would do?
Mrs B.
December 28, 2018
Simply sublime, two days out, toasted. I made this twisting four strands into two smaller loaves, rather than two to make one large one; one might not be able to toast slices from the larger single loaf. Also, may I respectfully recommend increasing the cherries when making two loaves. When I made this recipe twisting one loaf, the quantity of cherries called for seemed right, but with two, one might have liked a few more cherries in each loaf.
AntoniaJames
December 29, 2014
Excellent recipe - perfect for celebrating good times with family this time of year.
My notes:
I mixed the dough using a much simpler process, taking advantage of the convenience of "instant" (also known as "rapid rise" yeast), which I use exclusively for my artisanal loaves. Instant yeast is just like active dry yeast, except that it does not have the coating on it that makes it necessary to soften active dry yeast before mixing into the flour. It does not cause the dough to rise any more quickly than active dry yeast.
For the dough, I mixed all of the wet ingredients (but not the butter) together to blend, then added about half the flour and stirred it well to make a thick batter. I stirred in the rest of the flour to make a shaggy dough, which I then let rest for about 30 minutes. (I sifted 585 grams of flour directly into the mixing bowl. That's 15 grams more than the 114 ounces per cup that my Food52 friends on the Hotline advised was the correct ratio.)
Then I worked in the butter, about a tablespoon at a time, with the dough hook on my mixer. With all of those "extra" ingredients in the dough (eggs, sugar, milk), you get better gluten development and a better rise if you hold off on adding the fat until after the first rest.
The dough was sticky, and seemed like it could use more flour, but I resisted the temptation. I was glad later that I did. By the end of the first rise, the dough was luscious and easy to handle.
For the filling, I used homemade almond paste, which tends to be much less dry than the commercial product. Next time, I'll only add one egg white to the filling.
The dough rose magnificently and the single twist produced one of the most inviting celebration breads I've ever made. That said, I plan to make two twists next time, as the single large one was a bit too large, even when positioned on the diagonal, for my half sheet pan.
The instructions would benefit from including guidance on the appropriate dimensions for the rectangles of rolled dough when dividing it into fourths for two twists.
My family made short work of this. I plan to make this again next Christmas, if not sooner!
Thanks again for this great recipe. ;o)
P.S. I baked this the night before. It tasted great in the morning. Santa helped himself to a goodly chunk of it on Christmas Eve; he commented that he thought it tasted better in the morning - suggesting that perhaps the filling settles into the baked dough overnight. Either way, it was outstanding.
My notes:
I mixed the dough using a much simpler process, taking advantage of the convenience of "instant" (also known as "rapid rise" yeast), which I use exclusively for my artisanal loaves. Instant yeast is just like active dry yeast, except that it does not have the coating on it that makes it necessary to soften active dry yeast before mixing into the flour. It does not cause the dough to rise any more quickly than active dry yeast.
For the dough, I mixed all of the wet ingredients (but not the butter) together to blend, then added about half the flour and stirred it well to make a thick batter. I stirred in the rest of the flour to make a shaggy dough, which I then let rest for about 30 minutes. (I sifted 585 grams of flour directly into the mixing bowl. That's 15 grams more than the 114 ounces per cup that my Food52 friends on the Hotline advised was the correct ratio.)
Then I worked in the butter, about a tablespoon at a time, with the dough hook on my mixer. With all of those "extra" ingredients in the dough (eggs, sugar, milk), you get better gluten development and a better rise if you hold off on adding the fat until after the first rest.
The dough was sticky, and seemed like it could use more flour, but I resisted the temptation. I was glad later that I did. By the end of the first rise, the dough was luscious and easy to handle.
For the filling, I used homemade almond paste, which tends to be much less dry than the commercial product. Next time, I'll only add one egg white to the filling.
The dough rose magnificently and the single twist produced one of the most inviting celebration breads I've ever made. That said, I plan to make two twists next time, as the single large one was a bit too large, even when positioned on the diagonal, for my half sheet pan.
The instructions would benefit from including guidance on the appropriate dimensions for the rectangles of rolled dough when dividing it into fourths for two twists.
My family made short work of this. I plan to make this again next Christmas, if not sooner!
Thanks again for this great recipe. ;o)
P.S. I baked this the night before. It tasted great in the morning. Santa helped himself to a goodly chunk of it on Christmas Eve; he commented that he thought it tasted better in the morning - suggesting that perhaps the filling settles into the baked dough overnight. Either way, it was outstanding.
Sharon
December 26, 2014
Do you think it is possible to hold the assembled twist overnight, and bake in the morning? Or is this still good on day 2?
Amanda H.
December 26, 2014
I think you can do this if you put them, assembled, in the fridge. You can also bake the twist the night before and serve it the next day. I did this last night and served the twist this morning and it worked well.
Michelle
November 27, 2013
I pitched the unrisen dough and tried again. This time I used a lot less flour - closer to 4 cups than 5.5.
Amanda H.
November 27, 2013
Glad you tried again -- the amount of flour can vary depending on the humidity where you live, as well as how you measure it. In an ideal world, we'd all weigh our flour rather than using cups but ... we don't! I dip-and-sweep measure my flour so it may also be that you have more flour per cup than I do.
AntoniaJames
December 11, 2014
Amanda, the next time you make this, would you be so kind as to weigh the flour and post the amount, for those of us who prefer to use a scale? Thank you.
I'll be making two of these on Christmas Eve - one for us and the other as the perfect holiday treat to give some dear friends - who are from Denmark! ;o)
I'll be making two of these on Christmas Eve - one for us and the other as the perfect holiday treat to give some dear friends - who are from Denmark! ;o)
Michelle
November 27, 2013
I ended up on day 2 with a brick of dough so solid that it was like modeling clay. Is this right? And, my yeast was good (tested it).
mbierlich
December 21, 2014
I have just encountered the same issue after removing the dough from the fridge after leaving it overnight to proof. Any thoughts on what went wrong?
Amanda H.
December 27, 2014
Hi Michelle and mbierlich, when you take the dough out of the fridge, it's very firm because it has butter in it, but it should soften as it warms up (and will be very soft once it's fully risen). I just adjusted the recipe to make this clear; also to note that the second rising should happen at room temperature. Let me know how yours turned out!
Karla
January 15, 2016
I had the same issue too. Followed directions put the dough in fridge and it didn't rise at all. Left it out to rise and nothing happened. Any ideas what went wrong? I'd love to try again.
Amanda H.
January 16, 2016
I'm puzzled by this. One thought would be to let it rise a little before putting it in the fridge to make sure the yeast activates. I'm sorry you've had trouble.
Wulffmom
May 11, 2013
So delicious! I plumped the cherries with water so mixed them with cherry jam. I made one roll and braided the other like this : http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/05/braided-lemon-bread/ My mothers day gift to myself! Thank you for the recipe. fun, easy, and a true treat!
Amanda H.
May 12, 2013
Very pleased to see your comment -- and thank you for directing people to another interesting way of braiding. Very cool!
imryan23
December 15, 2015
The first year I tried twisting the loaf per above instructions. My results were tasty, though not pretty. Last year I braided following Wulffmom link. Easy to do and results were beautiful.
Maryjane M.
May 8, 2013
mjm58
Could you let me know how I could change the recipe to be gluten free? It looks to good to pass up.
Could you let me know how I could change the recipe to be gluten free? It looks to good to pass up.
Amanda H.
May 8, 2013
I'm not sure -- I hope someone who's knowledgeable about gluten-free baking will weigh in.
DessertByCandy
May 2, 2013
Taste & presentation outweighs the very little effort it requires. Mine baked up to about the length of a half-sheet pan. Quite a sight. Enriched dough was soft (I added a touch of cardamom) and complemented the filling well. Nothing squished out.
Amanda H.
May 2, 2013
I appreciate your comment -- because I know it looks complicated so it's hard to convince some that it isn't. You've validated my claim! And I'm happy to hear you liked it.
Angela
December 9, 2012
we always have waffles on Christmas morning. but you had me at "dot it with rum-cherries"!
EmilyMcKenna
December 7, 2012
This sounds delicious. Do you think it'd work with cherry jam?
Amanda H.
May 2, 2013
Emily, somehow I missed the comments on this recipe. Yes, it would definitely work with cherry jam!
See what other Food52ers are saying.