Flaky and Buttery Breakfast Pastries with Shortcut Homemade Dough

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Start your day with these delightful breakfast pastries, featuring a buttery, flaky dough that’s much simpler to prepare than traditional pastry dough. With a rich, tender texture and a variety of filling options, these homemade pastries are perfect for any breakfast spread. Whether you prefer fruity or creamy fillings, these pastries will quickly become your favorite morning indulgence.

The Secret to Perfect Homemade Pastry Dough

Creating homemade pastry dough might seem intimidating, but this shortcut version makes it incredibly easy while still delivering all the delicious buttery layers of traditional dough. With a simple folding technique, you’ll get beautiful, flaky pastries every time without the need for hours of prep.

Not only does this dough come together quickly, but you can also make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer, making breakfast a breeze on busy mornings. Let’s dive into the process!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick Shortcut Dough: No need for long hours of folding and chilling like traditional puff pastry. This shortcut dough is easy to make and still creates a flaky, buttery texture.
• Customizable Fillings: From fruit jams to sweetened cream cheese, you can tailor these pastries to suit your taste.
• Make-Ahead Friendly: You can refrigerate or freeze the dough, so it’s ready to use when you are.
• Perfect for Breakfast or Brunch: These pastries are light, flaky, and just sweet enough to pair perfectly with your morning coffee or tea.

What Makes This Dough Special?

The secret to this flaky shortcut dough is all in how you handle the butter. Instead of cutting it into small cubes like in typical recipes, you’ll work it into the flour just enough to leave small bits throughout the dough. These bits of butter will melt and create steam as the pastries bake, resulting in a light and airy texture without the fuss of traditional laminated dough.

This dough is chilled and folded several times to develop its layers, but the process is simplified so that even a beginner baker can succeed.

Now, let’s take a look at what you’ll need for this delightful breakfast pastry recipe!

Ingredients for Breakfast Pastries with Shortcut Homemade Dough

To make these delectable breakfast pastries, you’ll need a handful of simple ingredients, many of which you may already have in your kitchen. The key to getting that perfectly flaky texture lies in using cold butter and following the folding technique. Here’s what you’ll need:

For the Pastry Dough:

• Warm Water – 1/4 cup (60ml), between 100-110°F (38-43°C). This helps activate the yeast, ensuring the dough rises perfectly.
• Platinum Yeast by Red Star – 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard packet). This high-quality yeast helps give the dough a light rise, essential for fluffy pastries.
• Granulated Sugar – 1/4 cup (50g). The sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to the dough and helps feed the yeast.
• Whole Milk – 1/2 cup (120ml), at room temperature. Milk adds richness and a slight tenderness to the dough.
• Egg – 1 large, at room temperature. This helps bind the dough while giving it extra richness.
• Salt – 1 teaspoon. Enhances the flavor of the dough and balances the sweetness.
• Cold Unsalted Butter – 14 tablespoons (196g). Keeping the butter cold is crucial for achieving flaky layers in the dough.
• All-Purpose Flour – 2 and 1/2 cups (313g), plus more for dusting. Make sure to spoon and level the flour for accurate measurement to avoid dense dough.

For the Filling:

• Filling Options – 2/3 cup of your choice. You can use fruit jams, sweetened cream cheese, or other fillings like chocolate spread. Customize to your liking for a variety of flavors.

For the Egg Wash:

• Egg – 1 large. The egg wash gives the pastries a golden, glossy finish.
• Milk – 2 tablespoons (30ml). This combines with the egg to create a smooth egg wash.

For the Optional Vanilla Icing:

• Confectioners’ Sugar – 1 cup (120g). Adds a sweet, smooth finish to the pastries.
• Milk or Heavy Cream – 2 tablespoons (30ml). This helps create the perfect drizzling consistency.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon. Adds a warm, fragrant flavor to the icing.

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How to Make Shortcut Pastry Dough

Now that you have your ingredients ready, it’s time to prepare the pastry dough. This dough is easy to make, but requires a little patience during the chilling and folding stages to create those flaky layers. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Activate the Yeast:
   Start by whisking the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let it rest for about 5 minutes, until the top looks foamy. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast may be expired, and you’ll need to start over with a new packet.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients:
   Once the yeast is activated, whisk in the remaining sugar, milk, egg, and salt until fully combined. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the butter and flour.
3. Prepare the Butter and Flour:
   In a food processor, pulse the cold butter and flour together until the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces. This is the key to creating flaky layers. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter to achieve the same result.
4. Mix the Dough:
   Gently fold the butter-flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overmix—the dough should be sticky with visible pieces of butter, which will melt and create steam as the dough bakes.
5. First Refrigeration:
   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a sealed container, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, or up to 48 hours. This resting time helps develop the dough’s flavor and texture.

Now, with the dough ready, you’re just a few steps away from making delicious pastries!

Shaping and Baking the Pastries

After the dough has chilled and developed its flavor, it’s time to roll, fold, and shape it into delicious breakfast pastries. This part of the process is crucial for creating flaky layers, so make sure to follow the instructions carefully. Here’s how long to refrigerate, shape, and bake your pastries to perfection:

Rolling & Folding the Dough

1. Roll and Flatten:
   After the first refrigeration (at least 4 hours), remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a well-floured surface, gently flatten the dough with your hands to create a small square. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 15×8 inch rectangle. The dough may be sticky, so be sure to flour the surface and dough as needed.
2. First Fold:
   Once rolled out, fold the dough into thirds, like folding a business letter. Turn the dough clockwise and roll it out again into another 15-inch rectangle.
3. Second Fold:
   Fold the dough again into thirds, turn it clockwise, and repeat the rolling process once more. This folding technique is what creates the delicate layers in the dough.
4. Second Refrigeration:
   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or cover it in a sealed container. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours, to ensure the butter stays cold and the dough is easy to handle.

Shaping the Pastries

1. Cut the Dough in Half:
   Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it in half. Place one half back in the refrigerator to keep it cold while you work with the first half.
2. Shape into Rounds:
   Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten each into a 2.5-inch circle. Using your fingers, create a small lip around the edges to hold the filling in place. Press down the center of each round to flatten it slightly, as it will puff up during baking.
3. Add Filling:
   Spoon 2 teaspoons of your preferred filling (fruit jams, sweetened cream cheese, or other options) into the center of each pastry. Make sure the filling stays within the lip you created.
4. Egg Wash:
   Whisk the egg and milk together to make an egg wash. Brush the edges of each pastry with the egg wash to give them a beautiful golden color as they bake.
5. Optional Chill:
   For the best results, chill the shaped pastries in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, and up to 1 hour, before baking. This helps the butter stay cold, resulting in flakier pastries.

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Baking Times for Perfect Pastries

Now that the pastries are shaped and filled, it’s time to bake them to golden perfection. Here’s how long to bake your pastries, along with some tips to ensure they turn out just right:

• Preheat Oven:
  Set your oven to 400°F (204°C) and make sure it’s fully preheated before baking. This high temperature helps the butter in the dough steam, creating flaky layers.
• Bake for 19-22 Minutes:
  Place the pastries on a lined baking sheet (with parchment paper or silicone mats) and bake for 19-22 minutes. The edges should be golden brown, and you may notice some butter leaking out, which is completely normal. Halfway through baking, you can brush any leaked butter over the tops of the pastries for extra richness.

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How to Store and Reheat Leftover Pastries

If you have any leftover pastries (which is rare because they’re so delicious!), here’s how to store them:

• At Room Temperature:
  Store the pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
• In the Fridge:
  You can store the pastries in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Before serving, you can reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds until warm.
• In the Freezer:
  If you’d like to freeze the pastries, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, and reheat before serving.

Tips for Baking Success:

• Use Cold Butter:
  The colder the butter, the better your pastry layers will be. Keep the dough cold at every step of the process.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough:
  Handle the dough gently to avoid making it tough. Visible chunks of butter are a good sign and help create flaky layers.
• Use an Egg Wash:
  This will give your pastries a golden-brown, glossy finish, making them look as amazing as they taste!

Enjoy your perfectly flaky, buttery breakfast pastries!

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