Back in law school, I used to occasionally make danishes from scratch. It involved a big, clean work surface, a little yeast, lots of butter and a good amount of elbow grease. And I don't mean to brag, but these danishes were amazing. These days most commercial danishes, even at decent bakeries, are made with frozen, pre-made pastry dough from a factory, resulting in a flavor that is entirely different from fresh-made danish pastry. A fresh-made danish is everything you could hope for in a pastry - buttery, flaky, rich, moist, slightly sweet and wholly satisfying.
I don't often bake with yeast. To be honest, I'm afraid of it. Not afraid of yeast per se, but afraid of the various steps in which the baking process could go wrong if you aren't patient or careful enough. I prefer the American style of quick-bake cakes and breads made with baking soda and baking powder. There's less room for error - you simply need to be precise with your measurements.
For some reason, lately I've been yearning to bake with yeast. I want to let the dough rise, punch it down, and let it rise again. I want an expansive worktable where I can throw down some flour and knead the dough. I want to take a big, heavy rolling pin and roll dough out, again and again until I get lots of buttery layers.
Alas, I can't do any of that in HK because 1) kitchens here don't come equipped with ovens so we only have a tiny convection oven (which bakes very unevenly) and 2) I don't have the workspace I need to roll and knead. I don't know what's gotten into me lately but it's just another yearning that adds to my overall yearning for America.
I don't often bake with yeast. To be honest, I'm afraid of it. Not afraid of yeast per se, but afraid of the various steps in which the baking process could go wrong if you aren't patient or careful enough. I prefer the American style of quick-bake cakes and breads made with baking soda and baking powder. There's less room for error - you simply need to be precise with your measurements.
For some reason, lately I've been yearning to bake with yeast. I want to let the dough rise, punch it down, and let it rise again. I want an expansive worktable where I can throw down some flour and knead the dough. I want to take a big, heavy rolling pin and roll dough out, again and again until I get lots of buttery layers.
Alas, I can't do any of that in HK because 1) kitchens here don't come equipped with ovens so we only have a tiny convection oven (which bakes very unevenly) and 2) I don't have the workspace I need to roll and knead. I don't know what's gotten into me lately but it's just another yearning that adds to my overall yearning for America.
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