Danish Carnival Buns w/ Jam- aka ¨Gammeldags Fastelavnsboller¨

 - Danish Recipe

Directions:

1. Make the custard the day before by following this link. If you need to make homemade marzipan, do that the day before as well by following this link. And if you need to make homemade jam, do that the day before and follow this link (you can use the same recipe with other fruits). 

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dough and mix them together with dough hook on low speed for 6 minutes. 

3. Increase the speed to medium, and mix for 8 minutes more. 

4. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes in the mixing bowl, covered with a tea towel

5. While the dough is resting, make the marzipan spread.

6. Whip together the marzipan and sugar on medium speed (a hand mixer is easiest for this small amount). 

7. Add the butter a little bit at a time until you cannot see any clumps of marzipan. If needed, use a spoon to flatten the marzipan to eliminate big clumps.

8. Whip the marzipan mixture on high until it becomes light and airy. 

9. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape like a thick log. 

10. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes on a floured surface. 

11. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle to make 12 squares of dough that are about 2.5 inches long and wide. 

12. Using a spoon, scoop and flatten about 1 small Tbsp of the marzipan spread onto the center of each square of dough. 

14. Do the same with the jam and custard on top of the marzipan spread. 

15. Lightly brush egg or water onto the length of all 4 sides of each dough square. 

16. Take one of the squares and slightly overlap each corner over the center of the filling. 

17. Then, pinch the seams of the dough so that the dough is completely closed around the filling. 

18. Repeat with the remaining dough squares. 

19. Flip each of the filled dough balls over and use your hands to shape them to be more circular shaped. 

20. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

23. Place them in a warm place and let them raise for about 30 minutes.

23. Brush them with a whipped egg. 

24. Preheat your oven to 200*C (400 *F). 

25. Bake the pastries for approx. 15 minutes or until they are evenly golden brown.  

*(Optional) Icing:

- Mix the ingredients together with a spoon (using hot water ensures the icing will not run down the buns after you put it on). 

- Using a plastic bag or piping bag, drizzle the icing on in your desired pattern. 

Notes:

- You should have about half of the custard remaining; this is simply because this recipe is the smallest amount I am comfortable making in a small saucepan. You can eat the custard as is, or you can use it for other recipes like: Danish Strawberry Pie, Danish Cinnamon Rolls, Danish Brown Sugar Bread, Danish Cinnamon Twists, Danish Brown Sugar Kringle, or other recipes that you desire! 

- If you prefer to make a larger portion of the marzipan spread to store for later or use in the recipes mentioned, it's easy to do with a mixing machine using a spatula (cake) attachment.

- You can substitute the butter for margarine or oil in the dough recipe or a solid fat (margarine or lard) in the marzipan spread and custard recipe. 

- You can substitute the sugar for honey. 

- You can substitute the milk for plant based milk. 
- You can also substitute the jam for any other filling of your choice - some ideas: chocolate chips, nutella, fresh fruit, or curd. 

- Stored in an airtight container, the marzipan spread can last at room temp. for 2-3 days, 2-3 weeks in the fridge, or 6-12 months in the freezer.

- Stored in an airtight container, the vanilla custard can last in the fridge for 2-3 days; I do not recommend freezing it.

- Stored in a freezer bag/container, the raw pastry (non-baked) can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. - In this case, the best method of thawing and proofing the dough would be to let it thaw in the fridge for 6-8 hours and then to let it proof in a warm place or at room temp. for 30-60 minutes before baking. 

-Packed in a bag or airtight container, the finished/baked pastry can last for 2-4 days at room temperature, 6-10 days in the fridge, or 4-6 months in the freezer.