This beautiful Danish gluten-free puff pastry braid recipe makes the perfect center piece for a brunch, and nobody will know it is lacking the usual ingredients (gluten and even dairy if you choose!) The almonds enhance the sweetness and tartness of the cherries, and provide visual contrast to this gorgeous braid. The recipe is a labor of love that involves many steps over the course of 24 hours; I'll guide you through them and soon you will easily bake this masterpiece for all your brunches!
I make this weekly in my kitchen! My toddlers absolutely gobble it up. It's perfect for any occasion, whether you have a mother-in-law to wow or just children to feed, it's sure to please.
This gluten-free cherry-almond puff pastry braid recipe post will focus on the filling, the braiding and the glaze. To successfully make this recipe, you will need my gluten-free puff pastry, which is where the dairy-free option comes in. The puff pastry requires a specific gluten-free pastry flour blend, which is a DIY home blend. You can choose to make the pastry flour blend dairy-free, using coconut milk powder or oat milk powder. I know it's a lot of work, but I promise the way this dough handles is worth all the trouble!
And if you're looking for other recipes with subtle nutty flavors, check out these gluten-free white chocolate macadamia cookies!
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Ingredients
Once you've laminated the gluten-free puff pastry like a true Danish pastry, the rest is quite simple. I prefer using frozen cherries for quality-of-life upgrades... I don't enjoy pitting fresh cherries, frozen cherries are much more affordable, available all year round, and this is important: they taste exactly the same to me! (unlike frozen strawberries which I think are terrible) You absolutely can use fresh cherries if they're in season though.
- Cherries
- Sugar
- Corn Starch
- Almond Extract
- Almonds
- Powdered Sugar
- Water
- Egg wash
- And of course your gluten-free puff pastry, made with your DIY gluten-free pastry flour.
Instructions
The trickiest part making a beautiful braid is knowing the right dimensions and where to cut the gluten-free puff pastry sheet. I have some helpful diagram and a video to guide you!
Combine cherries, almond extract and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Cook in a small saucepan on medium heat until the mixture bubbles, ~5 minutes. Drain excess juices and mix them with cornstarch. Return the thickened excess to the saucepan and continue cooking until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
Using a pizza wheel, make the illustrated 6 cuts.
Fill the middle of the pastry sheet with half of the cherry-filling (this recipe makes 2 braids), and using the pizza wheel, make the illustrated cuts. I like 5-6 thicker "arms", but you can play with the size.
Fold each of the "arms" across the pastry. You can alternate which side you fold. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and place on a baking sheet in a 425F oven for ~14 minutes.
Let cool fully before adding the almond glaze.
See it in action!
Hint: construct your gluten-free Danish puff pastry braid on a piece of parchment paper so that it is easy to transfer to a baking tray!
Substitutions
- Dairy-Free - you must use a dairy-free pastry flour, which requires plant milk powder. I have done it successfully with coconut milk powder, with instructions given in the link above. You must also use a dairy-free butter for the gluten-free puff pastry, preferably one high in saturated fats, like Miyoko's vegan butter.
- Nut-Free - omit the almond extract and almonds. You could use vanilla extract and white chocolate, yum!
Variations
I love cherry-almond, but really the possibilities for this gluten-free Danish puff pastry braid recipe are endless!
- Fruity - use any fruits your heart desires! I've made it with apples, raspberries, peaches, blueberries.
- Chocolate Spread - Nutella is fantastic!
- Spicy - Asian stores have amazing chili paste, paired with Thai basil, it makes a spicy delight! (please read the labels to make sure it's certified gluten-free!)
Equipment
- Pizza Wheel Cutter - this is really for ease of cutting the pastry sheet. You could also use a sharp knife.
- Baking Tray - I have baked this braid on an aluminum baking tray, on a stainless steel baking tray and on a pizza pan.
Storage
There are storage directions for the gluten-free pastry dough, which you can make days/weeks in advance and store in the fridge/freezer.
Once the braid is baked, it is obviously best tasting eaten the same day. I have successfully wrapped leftovers in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for snacks. Just thaw to room temperature, and microwave ~5-10 seconds to freshen up the dough!
Top tip
Once you have shaped the braid, before you apply the egg wash, you can put it in the fridge for 10 minutes to stiffen the dough and butter. This allows the braid to retain its shape better when baking!
Once in the oven, I keep a close eye on the braid from the 12 minute mark, to make sure I take it out when it's my preferred shade of golden brown. Timing will change depending on the filling, the type of pan you use, if you have a convection setting, and whether you use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is set to 425F.
FAQ
Return the pastry sheet in the fridge to harden the butter, and use more pastry flour on your rolling mat/rolling pin.
Yes! I typically make 2 large braids out of one batch of gluten-free yeasted puff pastry, but you can also make 4 smaller braids (about 5 x 10 inch each).
Gluten-Free Cherry Almond Danish Puff Pastry Braid
Equipment
- 1 pizza wheel cutter
- 1 Baking Tray
Ingredients
Braid
- 1 batch gluten-free puff pastry
- 30 grams gluten-free pastry flour for rolling
- 454 grams pitted cherries I use frozen
- 75 grams sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 10 grams corn starch
- 1 egg for eggwash
Glaze
- 50 grams powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon water to thin glaze
- 1 handful almonds for sprinkling
Instructions
Making the Cherry Filling
- In a small saucepan, add the cherries, sugar and almond extract.
- Cook on the stovetop on medium heat, until the mixture bubbles (about 5 minutes).
- Drain excess juices from the cherries, and mix them with cornstarch, until the mixture thickens.
- Return the thickened mixture of excess juices/corn starch to the saucepan.
- Continue cooking until the mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
- Turn the burner off, cool to room temperature and store the cherry mixture in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
Shaping the Braid
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C), I use convection.
- Take the gluten-free puff pastry out of the fridge (please note 1 batch of the gluten-free puff pastry recipe makes 2 braids), and divide in two equal portions.
- Place one of the portions on a lightly floured surface (use gluten-free pastry flour). The other portion should be wrapped in cling wrap, and put back in the fridge.
- Please refer back to the instruction images in the post for the steps below.
- Shape the gluten-free puff pastry into roughly 7x13 inch rectangle.
- Put this rectangle on top of a sheet of parchment paper, so that the braid will be easy to transfer to a baking tray.
- Using the pizza wheel cutter, make two incisions to carve out small triangles on one end of the short side; on the other end, carve out 2 strips diagonally.
- Continue cutting diagonal strips (5-7) on both sides of the braid.
- Add half the mixture of cooled and thickened cherries, to the middle of the rectangle, cherries running down the long side.
- Braid the dough; you may choose to alternate which side braids first, or be consistent. It will look beautiful either way!
- Pick up the parchment paper that the braid is on, and transfer to a baking tray.
- If you worked quickly, you may skip directly to eggwash and baking. If your home is hot, or you worked slowly, or the dough is warm in any way, I suggest wrapping the braid loosely in plastic and sticking the baking tray in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. This ensures the braid will keep its shape when baking.
- Repeat steps for the second braid!
Baking the Braids
- Brush the top of the braids with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar (you may use coarse-grained sugar here for a bolder look).
- Place the baking tray in the middle of the preheated (425 °F (218 °C)) oven.
- Bake for a total of ~14 minutes, turning the tray 180 degrees after 10 minutes, to brown evenly.
- Please note that depending on the fillings you used and whether you are using a dairy-free or butter-based dough, baking times may vary. I like to keep a close eye on the oven, and I take the braid out when it is a beautiful deep golden brown.
- Let cool completely before glazing.
Making the Glaze
- In a measuring cup with a spout, place the powdered sugar and almond extract.
- Whisk, and slowly add water to the right consistency. I prefer a thick glaze, and I add water dropwise.
- Using the spout, pour the glaze slowly on the braids.
- Top with almond slivers.
- Best enjoyed immediately, but can absolutely be delicious after refreshing the dough ~5-10 seconds in the microwave!
Kristine
This cherry almond braid is absolutely delicious. Served it for my girls day brunch and everyone raved about it. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Sara Welch
This was everything a gourmet recipe should be, and then some! Was quick, easy and beautiful!
Lauren
This cherry almond braid turned out so good - my gluten free husband and I really appreciated it! I can just imagine allthe different variations one can make with this!
Lisa
I love the cherry almond flavor combination. And this is perfect for when I have gluten free guests!
nancy
such a delicious recipe. thanks for sharing your tips! I can't wait to make this on the weekend
cyndy
Just made this for my gluten-free sister. Perfect directions! It looks gorgeous and she is going to be so excited. It's hard not to nibble on it before delivering!
Naelle @ GlutenFreeDIYers
Haha, what a good problem to have!