Cherry Red Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish

Steps

1. Mix warm water, yeast and sugar together in a small bowl.  Set aside until foamy.
2. Add buttermilk, mashed potatoes, eggs, salt, sugar, and butter, whisk well. Add flour and mix in until a soft dough forms and the butter thoroughly incorporated.
3. Knead the dough by hand for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise and room temperature until doubled in size, 1 – 1 ½ hours. Deflate the dough, recover the bowl, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours until well chilled.
5. Before shaping danish, make fillings.
6. Cherry Red Raspberry Filling: combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and cool.
7. Cream Cheese Filling: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined
8. Egg Wash: combine the egg and milk in a bowl and beat until combined.
9. Icing: combine all ingredients until a smooth icing forms.  Set aside until Danish are baked and cooled for 15 minutes.
10. ASSEMBLY:

    - Once filling has cooled off, take the dough out of the refrigerator and gently deflate it. Divide into 18 pieces. Roll each piece into an 9” rope. Using rolling pin, roll rope flat to ¼” in thickness. (8”x3” rectangles, ¼”thickness).  With pizza cutter, cut small rectangle in half lengthwise.  Take 2 dough strips and twist around each other and into a circle, securing ends. Place on silicon lined baking sheets 3 inches apart.  Spray with nonstick spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, very puffy.

    - * While danish are rising, preheat the oven to 350.

    - When fully risen, gently depress centers slightly with wet fingertips, brush outside of Danish with egg wash, then place a 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese filling in bottom center of the Danish.  Add a scant tablespoon of Cherry Red Raspberry filling on top of the cream cheese.

    - Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 15-18 minutes, rotating once after 20 minutes to bake evenly.

    - *Remove from the oven and allow it to cool to warm.  Drizzle with icing.  Serve warm.  Makes 18 danish.