Daring Bakers June: Sherry Yard's Danish Braid with Apple Filling

I can't believe I'm actually saying this...but I think I might just have to take a break from baking! (It will likely be a short-lived 24 hour break, if that :D). Between the Cupcake Hero recipe and this month's Daring Baker's Challenge, I feel exhausted...well, that's not everything. To be completely honest, I just spent the last couple of hours making lentil soup, vegetable beef soup, spaghetti and meatballs, and baked chicken! So bear with me, this post is going to be a bit on the shorter side compared to my more lengthy entries.

I almost didn't do the challenge this month. After looking at the long lists of steps, I was more than just a little intimidated. But then I got that adrenaline rush; when it took over, I suddenly forgot about my baking insecurities and saw this as an opportunity to further expand my skillz. Yes, skillz...I do have one confession to make, though. I cheated...a little. I didn't make this dairy-free. Because I know that pastries heavily rely on butter, I didn't want to use the non-dairy replacement and end up regretting it later. Thankfully, my husband loved this apple filled danish pastry, so it's all his :D...he deserves it, Jose's been my DB kitchen helper. He sits there and recites the instructions to me. For some reason, things like this always seem a little less scary when there's a kitchen helper around.

I decided to just make one pastry braid. I didn't have any vanilla or cardamom, so I used vanilla extract and apple pie spice. I decided to go ahead and use the apple filling that came with the recipe, but I tweaked it a bit, adding apple sauce instead of butter. What else? That's pretty much it, I stuck to the recipe as much as possible and was thrilled with the beautiful results. (Oh wait! I did sprinkle a bit more of that vanilla sugar on top, instead of making a fancy glaze :). Yes, this is by far the most daring baked good I've ever made; I dedicated a good amount of time to the pastry, and made sure to throw in enough love so that it would come out just right.

I really like the idea of the braid, it adds character to this special pastry. I'm not sure that I'm going to make it again any time soon, but I'll definitely put this recipe to use when friends and family come to visit. This smells heavenly when it's baking! Imagine visiting a friend or family member and waking up to the smell of a fresh baked danish pastry made just for you :). (I'm using this as a bribe to all my friendly readers out there who are considering paying me a visit when I move to Boston...is it working?! ;)