Place flour,salt, sugar , yeast, egg and milk into a mixing bowl and using a wooden spoon combine ingredients until a dough is formed. Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 - 15 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 60 minutes. Dough should have almost doubled in size.
Remove from bowl and gently deflate dough by folding in onto itself 3-4 times, return back to the bowl cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge over night. It allows the dough to be workable and easier to work off into the final shape.
Prepare butter by bashing it into a square shape. Using a rolling pin can achieve a square of 17cm x 17cm. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill again.Take care to keep the dough and butter at similar consistency so they work well together.
Next day tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a square 30 cm x 30 cm and approx 1 cm thick.
Now give the pastry 3 “single turns” as described below.
Roll out the pastry to a rectangle 1 ½cm thick, by eye, mentally divide the rectangle into thirds. Next fold left side to ⅔ "mark" and then right side to the left edge (A to C and then D to B) to complete 3 layers of pastry.
Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Repeat this process again, cover and rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Repeat this process again, cover and rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator in preparation for final rolling (you should now have given your pastry 3 “single turns”).
Prepare your fillings and toppings.
Roll your dough out to 4-5 mm thick and cut into various shapes, fill with fillings and toppings. Place onto lined baking trays.
Cover each tray of Danish loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hour.
Egg wash each Danish, place trays into a preheated 220°C oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, swapping trays around half way through baking to ensure even baking.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack. Using a clean pastry brush, brush each top of Danish liberally with apricot glaze to give them a nice shine.
When cool, finish with icing or icing sugar if desired.
