There are several keys to making a good Danish dough and the follow-on pastries. The first key is the dough must be very soft (or wet) and almost sticky. Why? Because as you work it the gluten is developed later rather than earlier. The second key has already been mentioned - keep the dough cold. Why? the yeast doesn't activate quickly and it keeps the butter layers intact which will provide the layers when baked. The third key is don't try and work the dough quickly. Let the dough rest between turns to relax the gluten and make it easier to roll out the next time. I prefer using some pastry flour with bread flour to help keep the dough less bread like. Lastly, one way (not the easiest) to make pastries is to roll out the dough about 1/4-3/8 inch and then cut it into 1/2 inch strips. Then the hard part is to roll the strips by holding the strip (lightly) in one hand and rolling the strip using the heel of the other hand at the opposite end of the strip. This twists the strip. Roll the strip 2-3 times. Then the strip can be wound around one end forming a round "snail" or looped to form a "racetrack" or looped and then twisted in the middle to make a "twist". Filling can be placed in the middle of the snail, along the length of the racetrack, or in the two ends of the twist (can use two different fillings on the twist). I was a professional baker for 12 years and have been baking at home in the last 30 years since.

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