Happy Friday! Today is the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! One of the things I remember most about Doctor Strange is his ability to make portals that connect different places and universes. And so to celebrate the premiere of his new movie, I’m excited to share Doctor Strange’s Portal Pastries! These round portal pastries have a flaky crust and a gooey cherry filling!
Danishes are one of my favorite breakfast pastries. I love the flaky layers and the fruit filling. They’re not something I typically think about making at home, but after giving it a few tries, I was excited with how they turned out!
Since the dough needs a lot of layers to make it flaky and buttery, making the dough does take a bit of time. It’ll need a few hours to rest and you’ll need to do a bit of extra work to make all of the layers.
To make the pastry dough, first whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add one tablespoon of butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your hands.
Add the vanilla, milk, water, and egg. Mix and knead the dough until it’s cohesive but sticky. If you have a stand mixer, you can use it for this part. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
While the dough is resting, prepare the butter. Place the remaining butter pieces onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Place a second piece of wax or parchment paper over the butter pieces. Use a rolling pin to beat the butter into a square that’s about 1/2 inch thick. Use the wax or parchment paper to square off the edges. Roll the butter so it’s an even thickness, about 1/4 inch. Place the butter back into the refrigerator while the dough rests.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out until it’s about an 8-inch square. The exact dimensions aren’t important, just make sure it’s bigger than the butter square. Unwrap the butter and place the square on top of the dough, placing it so it looks like a diamond on the rolled out dough.
Fold each of the four corners of the dough inward toward the center. They should overlap slightly. Firmly pinch the dough together along the seams so that they seal.
Lightly dust more flour on top of and underneath the dough. Roll out the dough to make a long rectangle that’s about 3 times longer than it is wide. With one of the shorter sides facing you, fold the bottom third of the dough up and into the center. Then, fold the top third of the dough down, like folding a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface so that the edge of the flap is on the right. Roll the dough again into a long rectangle and fold into thirds again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for another hour.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Use a large (4-inch) round cookie cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to press the centers of each round down, leaving the sides puffed. Place a spoonful (about 3 cherries) of cherry pie filling into the center of each round. If you want, brush some egg wash around the edges of the pastry. Bake the pastries at 400 F for 15-18 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy Doctor Strange’s Portal Pastries!
Doctor Strange’s Portal Pastries
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into tablespoons
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 1 can cherry pie filling
Equipment
- 4-inch round cookie cutter
Instructions
Portal Pastries
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add 1 tablespoon butter, rubbing it into the flour mixture with your hands.
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Add the vanilla, milk, water, and egg. Mix and knead the dough until it’s cohesive but sticky. If you have a stand mixer, you can use it for this part.
-
Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
-
While the dough is resting, prepare the butter. Place the remaining butter pieces onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Place a second piece of wax or parchment paper over the butter pieces.
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Use a rolling pin to beat the butter into a square that’s about ½ inch thick. Use the wax or parchment paper to square off the edges. Roll the butter so it’s an even thickness, about ¼ inch. Place the butter back into the refrigerator while the dough rests.
-
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out until it’s about an 8-inch square. The exact dimensions aren’t super important, just make sure it’s bigger than the butter square.
-
Unwrap the butter and place the square on top of the dough square, placing it so it looks like a diamond on the rolled out dough.
-
Fold each of the four corners of the dough inward toward the center. They should overlap slightly. Firmly pinch the dough together along the seams so that they seal.
-
Lightly dust some more flour on top of and under the dough. Roll out the dough to make a long rectangle that’s about 3 times longer than it is wide.
-
With one of the shorter sides facing you, fold the bottom third of the dough up and into the center. Then, fold the top third of the dough down, like folding a letter.
-
Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process.
-
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
-
Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface so that the edge of the flap is on the right.
-
Roll the dough again into a long rectangle and fold into thirds again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
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Roll the dough out into a large rectangle about ½ inch thick. Use a large (4-inch) round cookie cutter to cut out about 8 rounds.
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Place the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
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Preheat the oven to 400 F.
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Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to press the centers of each round down, leaving the sides puffed.
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Place a spoonful (about 3 cherries) of cherry pie filling into the center of each round.
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If desired, brush some egg wash around the edges of the pastry.
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Bake the pastries for 15-18 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
adapted from King Arthur Baking