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Chapter 5

Danish, Scones, and Pastries

In This Chapter

• It’s all about the dough

• Delicious Danishes

• Tantalizing turnovers

• Sweet, fruity scones

Imagine going to a fancy brunch and seeing that everything on the pastry tray is loaded with butter, eggs, and cream. So as a vegan, there’s nothing at all for you to munch on. Then you spy a separate table full of beautiful Danish, turnovers, strudels, and scones, but you figure it’s just like all the others. As you begin to sigh and turn away, you notice the hostess walking up to you. She says, “Ah, I see you found ‘your’ table! I asked the caterer to make up a bunch of vegan pastries just for you.” You smile and consider hugging the hostess because at that moment, you feel like you’ve died and gone to vegan heaven.

Just about everyone loves pastry, and the dainties in this chapter certainly won’t disappoint you. The luscious breakfast and brunch delicacies are here to satisfy your cravings without giving in to the off-limits dairy and eggs.

Danish, Puff Pastry, and Phyllo Dough

The main ingredients in traditional Danish dough and puff pastry dough are butter and, to a lesser degree, eggs. These traditional doughs are laminated. The dough is rolled out, coated with butter, and folded into many layers. It’s chilled between rolling so it doesn’t get too warm—and, thus, it’s easier to handle—and can rest. The process of rolling, buttering, folding, and chilling is necessary to create a flaky dough. The dough takes hours and hours of time to prepare, with plenty of hands-on action. Phyllo is another dough that takes time to roll and stretch until you get it just right.

These authentic doughs are all very labor-intensive, and unless you have lots of free time on your hands, you’ll probably be looking for an easier way to make these tasty pastries at home.

Vegan Pastries

With the following recipes, you can make individual- and family-size pastries at home instead of buying them at the bakery—that is, if you could even find a vegan bakery near you. A braided Danish pastry filled with fruit and vegan cream cheese is a piece of art. Lovely turnovers and tender scones are all very tasty as well as pretty, with their colorful fruits and homemade pie fillings.

I’ve substituted vegan nonhydrogenated margarine—or vegan butter, if you will—for real dairy butter. And the vegan cream cheese filling tastes just like the real McCoy.

To make things even easier, and still absolutely delicious, I’ve included a quick Mock Danish Dough to use for a number of pastry recipes. It won’t be multi-layered with butter like the nonvegan version, but it will taste awesome—and save you hours of prep time!

You can make the turnovers either with a great store-bought vegan puff pastry or with my Flaky Piecrust (recipe in Chapter 13). Apple Strudel baked in purchased vegan phyllo dough tastes just as good as if you slaved the whole day in the kitchen making it yourself.

And the best part of all? They’re vegan, so lick your fingers and enjoy!

Mock Danish Dough

This easy sweet bread dough is rich with vegan butter and nondairy milk. It’s soft and tasty with vanilla and cardamom and makes great individual breakfast pastries or long Danish braids.

Yield:

dough for 2 large Danish braids

Prep time:

30 to 60 minutes

1 cup warm soy, rice, or almond

milk

2 TB. liquid or granule soy lecithin

¼ cup nonhydrogenated vegan

margarine, melted

½ cup unbleached cane sugar

½ tsp. salt

1½ TB. vital wheat gluten

Egg substitute for 2 large eggs

1 TB. pure vanilla extract

¾ tsp. ground cardamom (optional)

3¼ cups bread flour

1½ TB. instant yeast

1. In a large bowl, and using a whisk or an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on low speed, mix together soy milk, soy lecithin, and melted vegan margarine.

2. Add unbleached cane sugar, salt, vital wheat gluten, egg substitute, vanilla extract, ground cardamom (if using), bread flour, and yeast, and mix until dough forms a ball.

3. Knead by hand, or in a stand mixer