Breakfast

One of my favorite ingredients to have on hand is a box of puff pastry. Whether it’s made into a savory recipe, or a sweet, this versatile freezer staple is good to have handy. When you are working with puff pastry it is important that it stays cold. Thaw it in the refrigerator then work quickly when preparing it to bake. Puff pastry is a dough made from lots of butter, so the warmer it gets the more difficult it is to work with.

This breakfast Danish recipe can be made with a variety of seasonal fruits. A few ideas would be peach, strawberry, blueberry and of course, apple. When working with delicate fresh fruits like peaches and berries there is no need to cook the fruit ahead of time.

The puff pastry brand that I use is Pepperidge Farm. It comes in two sheets that are easily folded out and cut. Each sheet of the pastry is cut into 4 sections to make the Danishes.

Each section of pastry is topped with a dollop of cream cheese filling. I have sautéed the apples in a little bit of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Arrange the apples as shown on top of the cream cheese filling. Fold in two of the corners, then brush with egg wash.

Cream Cheese Apple Danishes

Ingredients

1 box Puff Pastry (2 Sheets)

For the filling

8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 Egg Yolks (reserve the egg whites to brush the pastries later)

For the Fruit

2 Apples
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Instructions

For the Filling

In a small mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer whip cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and egg yolks until smooth. Reserve egg whites to brush over the Danishes before baking.

For the Apples

Peel and thinly slice each apple. Melt butter over low heat in a small sauté pan. Add apples and cook until nearly tender, but not mushy. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon and cook for one minute. Remove from heat.

To assemble

Lay cold puff pastry out flat on your work surface- if necessary to prevent sticking you can sprinkle a little bit of flour on your work surface. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 equal squares. Spoon about 2 ounces of cream cheese filling onto the center of each square. Then, lay about 6 cooked apple slices over the filling, fanning the slices out. Fold two corners and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you do not have parchment you can use an ungreased baking sheet. Mix your egg whites that you reserved from earlier with 1 Tablespoon of water. Brush egg wash mixture over the exposed dough of each Danish. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.

http://www.staceycooks.com/cream-cheese-apple-danishes/

Breakfast is a very important meal in our household… each person in my family treats it differently, however. My little brother could eat cereal everyday of his life. My mom eats dinner food. But it is my Dad and I who really do breakfast right. Give us a fried egg and toast and we are happy… add some pork and our day is set! This week my Dad requested that I make a whole wheat bread for our breakfast meal. So, I decided to make a Honey Wheat English Muffin Bread. I love this recipe, the texture of the bread is chewy, like an English muffin and the loaves freeze great for later. I love to serve the bread toasted with a touch of butter and honey.

Honey Wheat English Muffin Bread

2 cups Warm Milk
1/2 cup Warm Water
2 Tbsp Honey
6 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Yeast
2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda

Combine warm water, milk and honey. In a large bowl stir together 4 cups of the flour, yeast, soda and salt. With a wooden spoon blend mixture well, then stir in remaining flour. The dough should be sticky, so add the flour gradually.

Grease 2 bread pans, then coat with corn meal. Divide batter and put in pans. Allow to rise, covered with a kitchen towel until double. Bake a 400 degrees until golden brown. About 25 minutes.

This recipe is quick and easy to make. Although it is a yeast bread, it requires no kneading, which creates the chewy texture.

Please be sure to comment and let me know what you think of this recipe- especially if you try it out!

~ SD