Danish Cinnamon Braid - aka ¨Kanelstang¨

 - 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. 

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 divide the dough into 4 pieces. 

10. Shape the 4 pieces into logs and set them to rest for 5 minutes on a floured surface. 

11. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough pieces into rectangles of your desired size to fit your baking sheet (for me, this is approx. 35x25 cm OR 14x10 inches, with the 35cm fitting the width of my baking sheet). 

12. Using a spatula, evenly spread out 1/4 of the marzipan spread onto the surface of your dough. 

14. With about 1/4 (about 60 - 80 g) of the custard spread it out evenly on top of the marzipan spread. 

15. Dust on top of the custard your desired amount of cinnamon. 

16. Roll the dough length wise, so it creates a long log. 

17. Place the logs onto an oiled baking sheet with about 5 cm (2 inches) apart. 

18. Using scissors, cut into the dough log at a 45-degree angle, approximately 2/3 of the way through, making cuts about 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart.

19. Starting at the top of the pastry log, take the first 1-inch section created by the cut and lift it to the left side, angling it so that the cinnamon layers are visible.

20. For the next 1-inch section, lift it to the right side, positioning it opposite the previous piece. 

21. Continue alternating the direction for each 1-inch section until you reach the end of the pastry log.

22. Repeat this process with the remaining 3 pastries.

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

23. Brush the logs 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 cinnamon braids 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, 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. 

- 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.