Cheese Danish Pastries (Delkelekh)

• For the dough
• yeast1 tablespoon
• milk, at room temperature↗1⁄3 cup
• large eggs, at room temperature↗2
• unsalted butter, at room temperature↗6 tablespoons
• sour cream↗1⁄2 cup
• sugar↗1⁄3 cup
• salt↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• all-purpose flour, sifted↗3 cups
• For the filling
• farmer cheese↗12 ounces
• sour cream↗1⁄3 cup
• sugar↗1⁄3 cup
• flour↗2 tablespoons
• vanilla↗1 teaspoon
• large egg yolk↗1
• lemon, finely grated zest of↗1
• For assembly
• flour, for dusting↗
• large egg (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)↗1
• confectioners' sugar (optional)↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   For the dough: In bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and milk and allow to sit for a few minutes. Stir in eggs, butter, sour cream, sugar, salt and flour. Mix well until dough turns into a ball. Transfer to a covered container and allow to rest for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

2. 2

   For the filling: In bowl of an electric mixer, combine farmer’s cheese, sour cream, sugar, flour, vanilla, egg yolk and lemon zest. Mix well. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed, up to 24 hours.

3. 3

   For assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out dough into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4-by-4-inch squares. Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into center of each square. Pick up corners of each square and press points together.

4. 4

   Arrange pastries on baking sheets about 1½ inches apart. Brush with egg mixture. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and serve as is or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.