Refrigerator Dough for American and European Pastries

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Overnight, plus 1 hour DURATION
Until Golden COOK TIME
30 minutes PREP TIME

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unbleached pastry flour or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 scant Tbsp SAF GOLD yeast*
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp grated orange peel**
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

  • In your mixer bowl with the paddle blade, stir together the pastry flour with sugar, salt and yeast.   In the microwave, melt butter in 2 cup measure cup, add water and heat until all hot, about 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Pour liquid into bowl of dry ingredients, stir in and beat a minute, then add in eggs, peel and vanilla and beat for 2 min.
  • Add the all-purpose flour, stir in and beat until smooth. The dough is very soft, more like brownie dough than bread dough.
  • Put dough into a bowl or tub at least large enough for the dough to double, and refrigerate overnight. It will rise and fall during the night, but will still be puffy.
PRINT RECIPE

This dough makes up in 10 minutes and then rests overnight in the refrigerator. It’s supple and easy to work with as you bake up your choice of American or European pastries, light as a feather.

I like to make a couple batches on a cold winter day and keep them in the freezer, ready to bring out whenever I need something special.

You can take this base dough recipe and make any number of American or European pastries with it. Try these overnight refrigerator dough pastries.

Recipe Notes

*SAF Gold yeast is better suited to doughs rich in sugar and butter. It is available from King Arthur Flour. You can use regular instant yeast, but it may take longer to rise. Two scant tablespoons of bulk yeast is about the same as two packets.

**I always have grated peel on hand in the freezer. I use a potato peeler to take just the bright outer peel from an orange or lemon, toss this into the mini processor with a couple tablespoons of cane sugar and process until very finely ground. Store in a glass jar in the freezer — handy and frugal.

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