Overnight Danish Twist

OMGSH!  These are so good!  I love to eat treats that make you feel like you've been to a bakery.  It's so much more satisfying to know that YOU made them. =)  This is an easy pastry to make and they are so pretty.  This is another recipe that I got from my handy dandy Betty Crocker cookbook. (You can find a link to purchase the book at the end of this post.)  I'm putting the exact recipe down here word for word out of the book and at the very bottom I'll give you a few tips.  OK...I'll quit stalling, here's the recipe.

Overnight Danish Twists

Prep: 55 min; Chill: 8 hr; Bake 15 min
Makes 27 twists

2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons out of a jar)
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
4 ups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold stick butter, cut into small pieces
4 large eggs (separated)
1 cup ilk
Jam or preserves
Powdered Sugar Glaze (Below)

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl.  Mix in flour, sugar and salt.  Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
2. Separate egg yolks from egg whites; refrigerate egg whites for use in steps 5 and 7.  Stir egg yolks and milk into flour mixture until soft dough forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets with shortening.
4. Punch down dough.  Divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll 1 part dough at a time into rectangle, 9 x 7 inches, on lightly floured surface.  (If dough becomes too sticky while shaping, refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes.) Cut rectangle crosswise into nine 1-inch strips
5. For each twist, pinch ends f each strip together to form ring, stretching strip slightly, then twist to from figure 8.  Place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Brush with egg white.  Let rise uncovered t room temperature about 25 minutes or until dough is puffy and lops fill in.
6. Heat oven to 350
7. Make an indentation in center of each loop.  Fill with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon jam.  Brush dough with egg white.  Bake about 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Immediately remove to wire rack; cool slightly.  Drizzle Powdered Sugar Glaze over warm twists.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  If necessary, stir in additional water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until drizzling consistency.

My tips for this recipe -

1. I needed 5 cups of all-purpose flour.  The dough was too sticky and there was no hope of rolling out the 9 x 7 rectangles.  Ugh...what a mess! 
2. I used a strawberry fruit spread instead of jam.  No high fructose corn syrup and uber yummy!
3. You really only need about 2 egg whites.  But, your first time to make these, it wouldn't hurt to keep them all.  You never know.
4. Step #1 says to "Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs."  I cut the butter into small cubes, then mashed them into the flour mixture looked like fine crumbs.
5. I made 21...not 27 twists as the recipe says. I realized later that I cut 7 strips instead of 9 strips in step #4.  They still baked evenly and were a little bigger.  =)  Is that so wrong?

OK, I know there are some of you out there that want to know the nutrition facts.  Just so you know, it takes all the fun out of it!!  So for all the A types...here you go...but I'm not happy about it. :-P

1 Twist:  Calories 190 (Calories from Fat 70); Fat 8g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 220mg; Carbohydrate 28g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 3g