Prunes. A word that many look at in disgust, associating them with their high fiber content and thus, their ~not so fun~ effects on the digestive system. But prunes are in fact good for you – they are high in fiber, potassium, contain iron and are a great source of energy. They also don’t really impact the digestive system very much if consumed in moderation, and for some people, prunes can actually help relieve digestive issues. So, if you like raisins or dates, there’s really no reason not to like prunes!
Now that I’ve made the case for prunes, let me tell you about today’s recipe! This sveskestang, which literally translates to “prune stick,” is pretty much a classic “Danish” in the US. Braided pastries aren’t actually that common in Denmark compared to the US, but I like the way it looks and so I decided to try it out for this recipe! The pastry is lightly flavored with cardamom and vanilla, and filled with a vanilla pastry cream and prune jam. It turns out super delicious and very beautiful!
Recipe
For this recipe, the most complicated part is the dough. You can make the pastry cream and prune jam ahead of time so that they have sufficient time to cool. For the dough, mix together your ingredients (as explained in the recipe) and knead for 10-12 minutes. Let this rise once for an hour to an hour and a half.
Then, it’s time to fill and braid the pastry. The directions and images below should help with this, but if you’re having any trouble, a simple google search of “braided Danish pastry” should help you out! And please leave any comments if you are confused or think part of the recipe could be written more clearly.
Let the pastry rise again for 30 minutes, top the pastry with almonds and sugar and bake. Note: Our pastry in the photo is actually a bit too light in color, so you should aim for a slightly darker golden brown! Let us know if you make it!
Sveskestang (Prune-filled Danish Pastry)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or vaniljesukker)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 375 grams (3 cups) bread or all-purpose flour
- 57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
FILLING
- 200 grams prunes, chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp port or sherry (optional)
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) water
- 1 portion kagecreme (optional)
TOPPING
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Chopped almonds
- Pearl sugar (or just regular/turbinado/brown sugar!)
Instructions
- Make your kagecreme by following our recipe here. This ensures that it has time to cool down. This is optional for this recipe; instead, just use the prunes as your filling!
- To make the dough: If using active dry yeast, heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add your yeast, stir, and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. If using instant yeast, simply add the yeast to the milk – there is no need to dissolve it.
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, and cardamom in a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled up a bit, add it to the egg mixture, or if using instant yeast, add immediately. Mix well.
- Then add the salt, softened butter, and flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Tip it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Add more flour if needed – the dough should be soft and smooth, not dry and not sticking to the surface. If using a stand mixer, allow it to knead the dough together for about 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough with cling film or a clean dishtowel and place in a warm place to rise for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- To make the prune filling: Combine the chopped prunes, sugar, port/sherry, and water in a small saucepan and place this over medium heat. You just want to heat up the mixture until the prunes soften and the liquid evaporates so you are left with a very simple prune jam. You can taste it to adjust the flavors (add more sugar or port/sherry if you want!).
- Set this aside to cool in the fridge (it shouldn't need very long to cool, maybe 15-20 minutes).
- Once your dough has risen, roll out into a 16 by 10 inch (41×25 cm) rectangle. Trim the edges if you want a really neat rectangle, but it’s not necessary!
- Spread the kagecreme down the center of the rectangle. Add the prunes on top and spread so they are evenly distributed. Make sure to leave space at the top and bottom of the rectangle so that you can fold the ends over the filling and it doesn’t leak out!
- Using a knife, cut out pieces from both sides at the top and bottom to create the flaps to fold over the top and bottom of the braid. Make sure your cutouts are slanted downwards so you can create the strands for the braid.
- Fold the top and bottom flaps over the filling.
- Now cut the strands for the braid, trying to keep them as even as possible on each side!
- Next, create the braid pattern by folding over one strand then alternating to a strand on the other side.
- Continue this all the way down the pastry.
- Transfer this carefully to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with cling film or a dish towel. Leave this to rise for another 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C).
- After 30 minutes, brush with egg wash, top with chopped almonds and sugar, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Make sure your pastry is a deep golden brown before taking it out of the oven!
- Let the pastry cool for 10-15 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
Exactly what I was look for in terms of dough. Most of the danish recipes use phyllo dough.
Do you think a cheese filling would go well with the prunes?
Thx for the recipe and pictures!!
Hi, happy to hear that it’s what you’re looking for 🙂 If you try out the recipe, please let us know how it goes! I do think a sweet cream cheese filling would go well here, as the prunes aren’t very sweet so that could be a good replacement for the pastry cream.