This is the perfect no-fuss dessert idea. Requiring only a handful of ingredients, these Cheat's Peach Danish Pastries come together in half an hour, don't require any laminating and can be easily made vegan.
Sometimes, a boring breakfast just doesn't make the cut for me. Especially since lockdown, when all bakeries and patisseries were shut, I missed the option of stopping by one of them and having a real boujee breakfast, like a sticky, sweet danish pastry. So, of course, I decided to try and make them at home. The problem is, I am quite an impatient baker. For example, I didn't get into the whole sourdough bandwagon because, despite looking delicious, I really did not have the patience to feed the yeast and all those bits and bobs you need to do to get sourdough bread. So I simply avoided it. The same goes for pastry, I adore it, but the idea of spending more than ten minutes working it, layering it and laminating it is what is putting me off from doing that. I am lazy, I know.
So, because I had already succesfully used store-bought puff pastry to make the easiest and most delicious 3-Ingredient Chocolate Croissants ever, I figured it could probably also work for a copycat/cheat's version of Danish pastries. And I am pleased to report that I was indeed successful. These Cheat's Peach Danish Pastries are my new favourite breakfast. Sweet but not too much, perfectly flaky and sticky. You just won't believe how simple and quick they are. And how addictive! So here is how achieve this beakfast of dreams.
What You Will Need To Make These Peach Danish Pastries:
Puff Pastry: any brand will do. However, if you want these pastries to be vegan, check the ingredients list - normally, supermarkets' own puff pastry sheets are accidentaly vegan but it is always good to check first.
Canned Peaches: I am sure you could use fresh but I feel like they would dry up. I might need to test a fresh version to be able to give you precise instructions. But canned peaches are great because it means that you can make these pastries whenever you want, not just in summer.
Peach Jam: if you don't have it, good old apricot jam will do. It will make our peaches go extra sticky, shiny and sweet - so, basically, all the things we love.
Egg Yolk or Olive Oil: brush either on the edges of your pastries to make them extra crispy and golden.
Caster Sugar: just a couple of teaspoons to sweeten the puff pastry.
Icing Sugar: here you have the choice: you can either keep it simple and dust it on top of your pastries, or you can go Danish style and mix it with water to make some icing like we did here.
Top Tips To Achieve Peach Danish Pastry Perfection:
Make sure your puff pastry has been out of the fridge for a bit: it will break up when rolling if not. 15 minutes should be fine.
Use a ruler: depending on how wide and long your puff pastry sheet is, using a ruler to divide it into squares is always a good idea. Seriously, it does make a difference.
Drain your canned peaches: make your peaches sit in a colander or strainer on top of a bowl for a while. The more juice they retain, the more your pastry might end up having the stuff of Mary Berry's nightmares: a soggy bottom!
Wait for the pastries to cool down before adding any icing: I know you are excited about these pastries. I feel you! But you DO need to wait for them to have completely cooled down before you can ice them. Otherwise the icing sugar will melt into a giant puddle!
Ingredients:
Makes 12 pastries
1 puff pastry roll (choose a plant-based one to make this vegan)
About 625 gr peach slices in juices
2 heaped tbsp peach jam (or apricot jam)
2-3 tsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk/ 2 tbsp olive oil
100 gr powder sugar
1-2 tbsp water
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and set aside for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, drain the peach slices and let them sit in a colander or sieve on top of a bowl for a few minutes.
Roll the puff pastry sheet and divide it into 12 squares (using a ruler will be good here).
With a fork, pierce some light holes in the centre of each puff pastry square, then cover them with three to four peach slices.
Heat the jam in the micorwave for 10-20 secinds and brush it on top of the peach slices.
Brush a beaten yolk or some olive oil on the edge of each square and then dust lightly with caster sugar.
Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.
Let the pastries cool down completely, then either dust with icing sugar or mix the icing sugar with the water to create a thick icing. Sprinkle it generously on your pastries.
These pastries can be stored on the counter for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? Share your experience by leaving a comment below! Xx