Sift flour and mix with sugar and salt. Mix yeast with a little cold milk. Add the rest of the milk and the beaten egg to flour and sugar. Beat well until smooth with a wooden spoon. Roll out the dough on baking board to 1 finger thickness. Spread small pieces of butter on 2/3 of the dough. The butter must have same consistency as the dough; if it is too soft it melts into the dough.
Fold together into three layers like folding a napkin, first the part without butter. Roll out and fold again. Repeat three or four times. Leave in a cold place for 1/2 hour. This is the dough with which many different kinds of Danish pastry is made. When pastry is shaped, place on baking sheet and leave in cold place to rise for 15 to 20 minutes, then brush with egg white and bake in a fast oven until golden brown.
Yield: 1 serving

Variations:

Cock's Combs (hanekamme):
Roll out dough to finger thickness and spread with a paste made of equal parts of butter and sugar, then cut into square pieces 4" x 4". Place filling across middle and fold
over. Press the edges firmly together and make 4 or 5 deep slashes in this
side. Let rise, brush with egg white and spread with chopped almonds
and sugar.

Spandaurers::
Roll out dough, spread with paste and cut as above. Place filling in middle. Fold corners to the center and press down. After baking drop 1 teaspoon of jelly in the center and spread with frosting of confectioner's sugar and water.

Chocolate Buns:
Roll out dough, spread with paste and cut as above. Place filling of vanilla creme in middle, fold corners to the center, forming dough as a ball and place upside down on baking sheet. After baking spread with frosting of confectioner's sugar, cocoa and water. Any filling may be used apple sauce, jelly, prunes, vanilla creme or almond paste.

Vanilla Creme:
Mix 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and 3/4 cup milk and cook until thick. Take off, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and cool stirring occasionally.

Almond Paste:
Cream 1/2 cup butter, add 1/4 lb. ground, blanched almonds and 1/2 cup sugar and mix well until smooth. Another kind of almond paste without butter is made of: 1/4 lb. almonds, 1/2 cup sugar and 3 egg whites. Work well together until smooth.