Rhubarb and raspberry Danish pastries recipe (2024)

• 300 gm Greek-style yoghurt
• 250 gm raspberries (about 2 punnets), plus extra to serve
• For brushing: eggwash

• 125 ml milk, at room temperature (½ cup)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 350 gm bread flour (2 1/3 cups)
• 25 gm caster sugar
• 7 gm dried yeast (about 1 sachet)
• 250 gm chilled unsalted butter, cut into 5mm-thick slices

• 2 bunches rhubarb (about 700gm), trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
• 220 gm caster sugar (1 cup)
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

• 450 ml milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• 220 gm caster sugar (1 cup)
• 5 egg yolks
• 30 gm cornflour

Main

• 1

  Place yoghurt in a muslin-lined sieve placed over a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to drain (discard liquid).

• 2

  Meanwhile, for Danish pastry, whisk milk, egg and 60ml warm water in a jug to combine, then set aside. Process flour, sugar, yeast and 1½ tsp fine sea salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until just combined (there should still be large chunks of butter). Turn onto a work surface, sprinkle with milk mixture, and mix with your hands until a sticky dough forms. Place in a buttered bowl and refrigerate to prove (overnight). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust with flour and roll to a 1.5cm-thick rectangle, about 20cm x 60cm. Fold short ends in to meet in centre, then fold in half to form a book-fold. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until just firm (20-30 minutes). Repeat rolling and folding twice more. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

• 3

  See Also

  Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for cooking with yoghurt

  For rhubarb compote, preheat oven to 180C. Combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and vanilla in a small baking dish, stir to combine, cover with foil, bake until just tender (12-15 minutes) and set aside.

• 4

  For crème pâtissière, bring milk and vanilla to the simmer over medium heat. Whisk sugar, yolks and cornflour until pale (3-4 minutes), add hot milk mixture and stir to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan and stir over medium heat until starting to thicken (5-6 minutes), bring to the simmer and whisk until thick and glossy (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. Stir in yoghurt and refrigerate until required.

• 5

  Increase oven to 190C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 1.5cm-thick rectangle, about 30cm x 40cm, and cut into twelve 10cm squares. Top each square with about a tablespoon of crème pâtissière, three rhubarb stalks and 2 raspberries. Bring two opposite corners of pastry together to meet in the centre, place on oven trays lined with baking paper and brush with eggwash. Repeat with remaining pastries and bake, swapping trays halfway, until golden and puffed (16-20 minutes). Cool to room temperature and serve with extra raspberries, rhubarb and crème pâtissière.