My grandmother gave me some of her handwritten recipes, including diagrams and her Danish accent — she wrote just as she pronounced, with all W’s being written as V’s. I treasured those scraps from that amazing woman but put them aside. My California lifestyle was conducive to running and eating salads, not pastries. But now that I am a vegan, my options are much broader, so a veganized pastry recipe is just the thing for times when company comes.

In order to get those nice flaky layers in your pastry, it is important to use chilled vegan buttery cubes and use the method listed below. For fillings, use jams, marzipan (available in traditional markets), or chopped nuts mixed with sugar and butter.  Make your own fruit filling if time permits as the prepared jams tend to be overly sweet. I used fresh strawberries, mashed, and mixed with sugar, water and a little cornstarch. My grandmother used  a mixture of chopped almonds, butter and powdered sugar, so I made some with her filling, too.

Danish Pastries

• 1/2 C. water, very warm
• 1 Tb. dry yeast ( or use 2 packets)

Mix together the yeast and water in a small bowl; set aside.  In a large bowl, place:

• 4 C. unbleached organic flour

Mix the following in a medium bowl:

• 2 Tb. vegan butter spread, room temperature
• 1/3 C. vegan sugar

In blender, whip the following until frothy and creamy:

• 2 Tb. flax seeds
• 1/2 C. water

Then add:

• 1/2 C. soymilk or other vegan milk

Have 1 C. butter spread in cubes chilling in refrigerator.

Gently mix the blender mixture into the flour; add the yeast mix and the butter/sugar mix and combine well. Knead until well mixed and smooth, adding additional flour as needed. Cover and place in a warm spot (about 80ºF) until double in bulk, about an hour or more.

Roll dough on floured board to about 1/4″ thick. Add chilled buttery spread (about 1/3 C. each time) over top by slicing into thin slices and placing on 2/3 of the rolled dough. Fold remaining third of dough over buttery spread (the unbuttered 1/3 of the dough will be in the center), fold over the other third of dough, and place in fridge, covered, for 30 minutes.

Bring dough out of fridge and roll back into another rectangle.  Spread the butter on 2/3 of the dough as above. Rest 30 minutes again, and repeat entire process for a third time.

After all the butter cubes are used and the dough has rested three times, then roll dough out to 1/4″ thick.  You should now have a square or small rectangle. Roll the dough into appropriate thickness and cut into thin strips.

Twist the strips and roll into circular shapes. Alternatively, roll the dough into a thin rectangle, placing filling in the center, folding dough on each side over the filling; pull into circle, cutting slits in outside for a Kringle. (See photo at bottom.)

Place nuts, fruit filling, jam or marzipan in the center of the pastry.

Add chopped or sliced almonds on the top of the pastry. They may also be brushed lightly with soy milk before baking, if desired.

Bake at 400º F for about 15 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar with soymilk or water into a thin paste.  Drizzle on top of the pastries after they have cooled a few minutes.  Allow them to cool completely; serve, or freeze for later use.

Warm 1 C. soymilk to room temperature.

Add to 1/2 C. starter, then add 2 C. flour.

Mix and cover loosely with a cloth and set aside overnight in a warm place.

Mix 1 Tb. sugar, 1/2 C. unbleached flour, 1 tsp. baking powder together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over starter mixture (starter and flour) and knead in slowly on floured board.

Knead until mix is no longer sticky, adding flour as needed.

Roll out to 3/4″ thick; cut with biscuit cutter or pineapple can.  Place on a cookie sheet covered with sprinkled cornmeal.

Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, light and airy. (Check at 45 minutes and thereafter until ready.)

Prepare a large frying pan or griddle. Bring to 275 degrees or medium low heat.  Bake five minutes or more on each side, until they are golden brown.

When ready to serve, split with a fork in half. Broil each half with vegan butter.  Serve as is or add jam, jelly, or agave nectar.

For a very simple starter, put one cup of unbleached flour in a 4 cup jar.  Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and about 1-1/3 C. water, enough to make a mix about as thick as pancake batter.  Blend, put a cheesecloth covering over the top with a rubber band, and allow to warm and ferment. Check daily, stirring with a wooden chopstick or wooden spoon – do not use metal.  When the mixture becomes bubbly, frothy and has a pleasant, slightly sour smell, it is probably ready to use.

If you want to maintain the starter, keep it covered in your refrigerator once it is seasoned.  When you are ready to use it, mix another cup of flour and another 1-1/3 C. water and add to the mix. Add yeast if you wish and leave overnight in a warm place, covered with cheesecloth again. Use the next morning or whenever it appears in that bubbly, frothy state.

Use in sourdough pancakes, sourdough English muffins, and sourdough breads.

Recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Mix together:

• 1 C. unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp. orange zest

In a separate bowl:

• 1/3 C. vegan butter
• 1/3 C. vegan sugar
• 1/2 C. orange juice
• 1/3 C. chocolate chips

Stir gently and form into one large ball, then flatten the ball out on a flour-dusted cutting board.  Cut into sixths or eighths and put on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350% for about twelve – fifteen minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove and enjoy!

Dissolve 2 packets yeast in warm water – set aside (1/4 C. water)

Put 1/4 C. vegan butter spread (oil may be substituted), 2 C. hot water, 1/2 C. agave nectar, and 1 tsp salt in large bow.  Allow to cool until spread is dissolved and water is lukewarm. Then add the yeast mixture.

Add 3 C. whole wheat flour and beat with a wooden spoon, one cup at a time, until mixture is well blended.

Have 2 C. unbleached flour ready.  Prepare cutting board by sprinkling generously with unbleached flour.  Add in the 2 C. flour and blend well. Pour (it will be solid) out the dough onto the board. Begin kneading until all the flour is blended, adding more periodically until the dough is not sticky.  Knead for about five minutes and set aside in warm place (not hot), covered with towel or plastic wrap.

Check back in 30-45 minutes. Once the bread has doubled in size, you will punch it down, knead it a few times, and form it into whatever shape you wish.  Try dividing dough into half, then each half into thirds. Make each third into a long snake-like shape and braid three together, tucking ends underneath.  Allow bread to rise again for 30  min.

Bake bread at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool on racks.  Serve warm or cool with vegan buttery spread or oil; or serve it with a good hearty soup.