Poppy Seed Danish

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Good morning. Thank you for your kind comments and emails about the loss of my father-in-law and for my mother-in-law. With the help of her doctors, family and friends and her own determination she is doing much better. Hopefully by September she will be well enough to come and spend a few weeks with us. As she is trying to put on weight I have been hard at work making her some sweet treats. 

Yesterday I made a few dozen cookies, brownies and some coffee cakes, not only for her but for her guests and caretakers as well. For this poppy seed danish I used the same dough  that I used for the raspberry danish recipe I made some months ago; it is the perfect base for any danish, you can add any kind of jelly/jam, or filling and you will have the most delicious breakfast cake. 

Poppy Seed Danish

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2 large eggs

31/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 can Poppy seed filling

Optional:

Vanilla Icing

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting mix ingredients together until smooth. 

Directions for the Danish

Place the yeast and the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until warm, to about 110F. Pour the warm milk into the mixing bowl on top of the yeast and sugar then whisk gently to combine. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 5-10 minutes. After 10 minutes the mixture will be frothy. 

Add the butter, egg, flour and salt. Beat the mixture at low speed for 4 minutes. The dough will be soft. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute. If the too is too sticky, add a bit of flour until it is smooth. Do not add too much flour, you the dough to be soft and smooth. 

Lightly grease a bowl with cooking spray, place the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough into a warm, dry place and let rise for 90 minutes. I do this in my oven. I turn the oven on to 180F for 1 minutes than turn it off, I also leave the light on in the oven for added warmth. 

Grease a 9″ springform pan. Once the dough is risen punch it down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. 

Roll dough to a 12 x 16″ rectangle. Spread the poppy seed filling evenly over the surface of the dough. Roll up the dough tightly, like a cinnamon roll so that you have a 16″ long log. Place the log on the seam and cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Criss cross the dough forming an X, back and forth until you get to the end, then curl the dough into a circle and tuck the ends underneath. Gently pick up the circle and place in your prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. You can watch a video of this process here).

Preheat the oven to 350. Once dough is risen bake for 40-45 minutes. If the dough is browning too quickly tent with aluminum foil. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before drizzling with the frosting. Frost the cake and enjoy. 

Note: I used the entire can of poppy seed filling, you can use less if you want, you can also make your own poppy seed filling if you prefer. I forgot to drizzle the cake with the frosting before I took the photos. 

I hope that you have a fabulous day!