Peach Cobbler Cheese Danish

Before you begin

1. Line two rimmed half-sheet pans with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

For the crumble (make ahead)

1. Whisk the flour, white and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl until evenly combined.
2. Scatter the pieces of cold butter all over the mixture, toss to coat, and work the butter in until well incorporated and no dry pockets of flour/sugar remain. I used a pastry cutter, but a fork works well to get it started. Feel free to use your hands (quickly) to work the mixture together. The crumbs should vary in size for best results.
3. Transfer to a small freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. Will keep for 2 months.

For the lemon simple syrup (make ahead)

1. Zest and squeeze the juice of one lemon into a 1-cup measuring cup. You should get anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons.
2. Fill the measuring cup with water until you get to the 1/2 cup mark. You should have a half cup of a water and lemon juice/zest mixture, to be clear.
3. Pour in the water/lemon juice mixture in a small pot, then add the sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Once cooled, you can transfer the syrup to small tupperware container or small glass jar with lid and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for up to one month.

For the cream cheese filling (make ahead)

1. Add the softened cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl along with the granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and pinch of sea salt. Mix together until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust. If you want it sweeter, go up to 1/3 cup sugar.
2. If making 1-day ahead, transfer the mixture into a zipper bag, pressing out as much air as possible and refrigerate. If making the day of, cover the mixture with plastic wrap and set aside until needed.

For the peach filling (make ahead)

1. Add the peaches, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, pumpkin spice (if using), lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir everything to combine. Cook the peaches for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened but not mushy.
2. Once the peaches are softened but still have some “bite”, decrease the heat to low and stir in the cornstarch slurry. It will tighten up almost immediately. If you notice the mixture is TOO tight, add a little water to loosen it just enough until it’s viscous.
3. Turn off the heat once you achieve the consistency you prefer and set aside to cool completely. If making a day or two ahead, transfer the cooled peach mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. 

For the glaze (make ahead)

1. Whisk the confectioners sugar, milk, almond extract, and pinch of salt together in a small bowl until smooth and combined. Taste to adjust, or adjust consistency as desired.
2. Transfer to a small airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this up to 5 days ahead.

For the egg wash

1. Combine the remaining beaten eggs with a splash of milk (about 2 tablespoons), and the honey. Mix to combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the dough (make ahead or day of, SEE NOTE)

1. For the dry ingredients: Add the King Aruther bread flour, instant yeast, diastatic malt powder, and kosher salt to a medium-sized bowl, making sure to keep the yeast and salt from touching. You’ll whisk this mixture together immediately before it’s time to add it to the stand mixer. 
2. For the wet ingredients: For the brown butter, you can make this in advance or right away. To make in advance, simply heat 1 US stick of butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat until golden brown. What’s leftover including the milk solids should equal about 90 grams (you can weigh to be sure). Cool then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. If making right away, brown the butter as instructed above. Once browned, immediately whisk in the whole milk, brown sugar, avocado (or neutral) oil, vanilla and almond extracts in the same medium-sized saucepan over medium-low until the mixture is warmed through, about 100 to 115 degrees F, and the sugar is fully dissolved. If the internal temperature gets hotter than 120 degrees F, simply set side, or refrigerate to cool until it’s between 100-115 degrees.
3. Pour the warm (100-115 degrees F) milk mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, then add 70 grams of the beaten eggs. Mix together briefly on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds. 
4. Now, whisk together the bread flour, instant yeast, diastatic malt, and kosher salt, and carefully spoon the flour mixture into the butter/egg mixture, while still on the lowest speed. When all of the flour mixture is combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, and increase the speed to medium-high (speed 6 on a KitchenAid). Knead the dough for 15-20 minutes, or until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Secure the stand mixer however you can to prevent it from wobbling off the counter, because I promise if you don’t, it will fall off. 
5. After 15-20 minutes, the dough will be slightly sticky but should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl for the most part, and feel supple and slightly tacky to the touch. The dough may not “clear” the sides of the bowl due to its tackiness, but it should pull away. See photos above for reference. 
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool, up to 1 hour.
7. After 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge, remove the dough from the bowl using a plastic bowl scraper and transfer to a clean work surface. If your dough is too sticky, lightly flour your hands and the work surface. Work into a large smooth ball. Divide the dough into ten 100-gram pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball, making sure the seams are closed, and place them on the prepared half-sheet pans (about 5 per sheet). Be sure to space them out while keeping in mind how much they’ll expand as they proof and bake. Lightly spray or brush the tops of the buns with oil (a VERY thin layer, you don’t need much) and cover with plastic wrap to let them proof in a warm spot for two hours or until they’ve visibly doubled in size. 
8. After two hours, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (conventional oven, if using convection, adjust accordingly). Remove the plastic wrap from the proofed dough. Make a divot in the center of each piece of dough using either your fingers, or the bottom of a small glass, a small bowl, or a spoon. You’re going to press deep enough to leave an indentation, but not so deep you pierce the bottom of the bun or leave it too thin that the mixture seeps thru the bottom as it bakes. Widen the center gently with your fingers, just so you have enough room for the filling. The outer rim should be about 1 1/2-inches wide. 
9. Fill each danish the cream cheese mixture, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, until evenly distributed.
10. Brush the edges of the danishes with the egg wash.
11. Top the cream cheese mixture with about 1/3 cup of the peach mixture.
12. Add a desired amount of the crumble to the top of the peach mixture, and be sure to get some of the crumbs on the sides of the dough. Any leftover crumble mixture can be frozen for another use. 
13. Bake the danishes (one sheet pan at a time) on the middle-rack of your preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until they’re a deep golden brown. The internal temperature of the dough should be between 205-210 degrees F, just in case you’d like to check.
14. Remove the danishes from the oven and immediately brush the sides of each one with the lemon simple syrup. It soaks in better when they’re hot.
15. Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
16. Finally, drizzle a thin stream of the glaze all over each danish, if using. Allow the glaze to set for 30 minutes to an hour. 
17. Serve warm or at room temperature, and enjoy.

*Leftover danishes can be wrapped securely in plastic wrap, once completely cooled, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave on 50% power in 20 second intervals until warmed through to your liking.