The “overnight” dough is incredibly convenient. Prepare it in the evening, let it rest in the refrigerator, and surprisingly, it will slowly rise overnight. By morning, you’ll have fantastic dough for baking, resulting in soft, tender, and fluffy treats. It’s also low in fat, making it suitable for those avoiding greasy foods.
Using a stand mixer is the easiest way to knead the dough because it can get sticky, and manual kneading might be challenging. However, it’s possible to knead the dough with a regular whisk.
You can store the “overnight” dough in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you don’t use the entire batch in the morning, you can bake another batch of pastries the next day. The risen dough can also be frozen.
Ingredients for “Overnight” Dough:
- 1 cup (250 ml) warm milk
- 25 g fresh yeast (pressed)
- 2 eggs
- 500 g flour + extra for working
- slightly less than 1/2 cup sugar
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
How to Prepare “Overnight” Dough:
- Take the butter out of the refrigerator in advance; it should be at room temperature. Cut it into cubes.
- Beat the eggs with a fork.
- In a small bowl, pour the milk, crumble the yeast, and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the milk with yeast into the mixer bowl, add the eggs, and mix with a hook attachment at low speed.
- Add sifted flour, then sugar, and mix at a slow speed for about 4 minutes until all components combine.
- Without turning off the mixer, gradually add pieces of butter and mix at a moderate speed for another 5-6 minutes until fully absorbed, and most of the dough starts gathering around the hook.
- Add salt and mix for another minute or two. The dough will look like a dense, soft, and sticky mass.
- You can leave the dough in the bowl or transfer it to a deep dish. Cover the container with plastic wrap and send it to the refrigerator—let it slowly rise there overnight.
- Take the risen dough out of the refrigerator, place it on a floured work surface, divide it into two parts, knead, and vigorously knead.
- While working with one portion of the dough, return the other to the refrigerator or freeze it immediately, wrapping the dough in plastic wrap. Working with cold dough is very comfortable – it rolls out easily into a 3 mm thick layer. (Sprinkle the rolling pin with flour and make sure the dough does not stick to the work surface.)
- Place the shaped products on a baking sheet or in a mold (depending on what exactly you plan to bake) and let them rise until the products double in volume.
- Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (for larger products, you can increase it to 200, then reduce the temperature). Bake until golden brown, magical aroma, and readiness.
- A few minutes before they are ready, take the products out, brush the surface with yolk, and if desired, sprinkle with poppy seeds and let them finish baking.
How to Prepare Orange Glaze:
Mix 1 tablespoon of melted butter with half a cup of sifted powdered sugar, add 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice, and stir until smooth. Adjust the thickness of the mixture as needed, but it should be pourable.
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