Breakfast Pastries with Shortcut Homemade Dough Recipe

Pastry Dough:

1. Whisk the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar together in a large bowl. Cover and allow to rest until foamy on top. If the surface doesn’t have bubbles on top or look foamy after 15 minutes (it should if the yeast isn’t expired), start over with a fresh packet of yeast.

2. Whisk in remaining sugar, the milk, egg, and salt. Once these wet ingredients are mixed together, lightly cover and set the bowl aside.

3. Cut the cold butter into ¼-inch slices and add to a food processor or blender. Top with 2½ cups flour.

4. Pulse the mixture 12 to 15 times, until butter is crumbled into pea-size bits.

5. Pour the flour mixture into the wet yeast mixture. Very gently fold everything together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

6. Fold just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces and crumbles, which creates a flaky pastry. Turn the sticky dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, parchment paper, aluminum foil, or into any container that can be tightly covered.

7. Wrap the dough/cover up tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.

8. Take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the “rolling and folding” process. If the dough sat for more than 4 hours, it may have slightly puffed up and that’s ok.

9. Very generously flour a work surface. Gently flatten the dough into a small square. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a 15×8-inch rectangle. When needed, flour the work surface and dough.

10. Fold the dough into thirds as if it were a business letter. Turn it clockwise and roll it out into a 15-inch long rectangle again. Then, fold into thirds again. Turn it clockwise.

11. Repeat rolling and folding 1 more time for a total of 3 times.

12. Wrap up/seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

13. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

14. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut it in half. Wrap 1 half up and keep refrigerated while working with the first half.

15. Cut the first half of dough into 8 even pieces. Roll each into balls. Flatten each into a 2½-inch circle.

16. Using fingers, create a lip around the edges. Press the center down to flatten the center as much as possible so the filling can fit inside. (Center puffs up as it bakes.)

17. Arrange pastries 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough.

18. Spoon 2 teaspoons of fruity filling or 1 tablespoon of cheese filling inside each pastry.

Egg Wash:

1. Whisk the egg wash ingredients together. Brush on the edges of each shaped pastry.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

4. Remove baked pastries from the oven. Cool for at least 5 minutes before icing/serving.

Icing:

1. Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm pastries and serve.