Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Cake - Easy Danish Dough

When I hear Coffee Cake, I instantly picture a yeast dough coffee cake. And since I was recently experimenting with Danish pastry (laminated yeast dough), of course I decided to use that for my coffee cake. And it was grrrrreat!

Just as I usually opt for my Ruff Puff over regular puff pastry that takes so much longer, I will probably make my Easy Danish Dough far more often than the time-consuming regular version. It's so easy to just stir it up a day or two before you need it, then do the "turns" (rolling and folding) the next day.

Sure, even the Easy Danish Dough is a bit more work than just the regular yeast dough you could use for this, but it is so worth it if you are a fan of flakiness and appreciate that little something extra.

If you just want to make one coffee cake, go ahead and make the full dough recipe and refrigerate or freeze half for another day; and make a half recipe of the filling and glaze. I know it's called coffee cake, but it is fabulous with a nice cup of tea!

Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Cake 

(Makes 2 cakes)

The Dough

2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 oz/355 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.75 oz/50 g) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz/170 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/120 g or ml) milk, room temperature
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 g or ml) water, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 dip-and-sweep cup (2.5 oz/70 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

The Filling

6 tablespoons (3 oz/85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

The Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon very hot water
1 tablespoon real maple syrup

1 In large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in the cold chunks of butter, squishing them a bit with your fingers to distribute through the flour.

2 In small bowl whisk together milk, water and egg. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour to form a very sticky wet dough, chunky with butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

3 Measure out the 1/2 cup flour to use on surface and for rolling out dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and pat into a square shape. With rolling pin, roll it into a 16-inch square. Fold it in thirds, like a business letter, and roll into about a 10x16-inch rectangle. Fold in thirds.

Note: You'll need a bench scraper for the first few turns, as it's pretty messy at that point--not like the smooth dough it eventually turns into (see below)! 

4 Repeat twice. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

5 Roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square and fold into thirds, like a business letter, then in thirds again to make a square.

6 Repeat twice. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

7 Make filling. Stir together nuts, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

8 When ready to make coffeecake(s), cut the dough into 2 pieces. While working with the first one, chill the second one. If making just one cake, double wrap the second half of dough and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month.

9 Roll one piece of dough into a 13- to 14-inch square. Spread on half the softened butter and half the filling mixture, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Starting with edge nearest you, roll rather tightly and pinch the edge closed. The roll should end up being at least 18 inches long; if it is shorter, just press and roll until it is 18 inches. Coil in buttered or sprayed 8-inch round baking dish or cake tin. Press lightly. Cover lightly with sprayed plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours, until puffy (not doubled). Repeat with other half of dough.

10 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

11 Let the coffee cake(s) cool about 20 minutes; make glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and hot water until smooth; whisk in maple syrup. Drizzle over cake(s).