Danish Kringle Recipe
on Sep 19, 2020
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This Danish kringle recipe is brought to you from the middle of Nowhere, Wisconsin. If you’re not familiar with our state or never been here, there are a few essentials that every good cheesehead is familiar with.
The Green Bay Packers, cheese curds, brats, and authentic Danish kringle pastry. Most of you would probably eat Danish kringle for dessert. Not us cheeseheads though. This kringle is fair game for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
There is so much I love about Wisconsin, aside from the winters. The people are abnormally friendly, summertime is heavenly, and then there is the Wisconsin kringle. (It is the state’s official pastry, thanks to the original Racine kringle.)
Seriously, my kind of place!
Table of Contents
What is Kringle?
This kringle recipe is a delectable pastry and the pride of Racine, Wisconsin. That’s where it was first made by Danish immigrants back in the late 1800s. Hence the name, Racine kringle.
It is made with layers of buttery dough. The end result is a sweet and flaky pastry filled with a nut or fruit filling and topped with a frosting or drizzled icing.
This kringle recipe is part of the Danish concept of Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah). It’s all about a state of comfort and coziness. A Racine kringle is as hygge as it gets!
I like to think of this recipe for kringle as decadence. Like our slutty brownie recipe, these turtle dream bars, or our homemade fig bars. Any of these could be called homemade bliss, instead.
Ingredients
Our kringle recipe starts with a flaky pastry that is mostly butter and flour. And, of course, any good Wisconsin dessert is usually loaded with sugar. That’s just how we roll in these parts.
We’ve jazzed this Danish kringle recipe up a bit for a true blend of Wisconsin flavors. As a kringle baker, you can make them as simple as you like.
Although it can be filled with any number of goodies. Popular Wisconsin kringle fillings often include:
The list of fillings is limited only by your taste and imagination. Almond kringle and raspberry kringle are some of the most popular throughout the United States.
How to make it
(Read the full Racine Kringle recipe with detailed directions at the end of the post.)
A Racine kringle is not hard to make but the process has several steps. As I mentioned above, you can fill them with whatever strikes your fancy.
You’re going to need some sheet pans, parchment paper or plastic wrap, and a large clean work surface.
This is how I make this pecan-filled kringle recipe with a salted-caramel glaze.
The first part of making a Danish kringle is making the dough. In summary, you’ll do the following:
Roll it Out
- Process and stir ingredients to form a dough.
- Pat the kringle together to form a rectangle, then wrap and refrigerated.
- Roll the chilled pastry out. Fold it, seal it, and refrigerate.
- Repeat step 3.
This kringle dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Make the Filling
When you’re ready to bake this kringle recipe, you can put the filing together. Here we use just a simple combination of pecans, butter, and brown sugar.
Put it all Together
To assemble the kringle, you’re going to roll out the dough and fill it. Do this with the following steps:
- Unwrap the dough and divide it in half.
- Roll each piece of dough into a 6″ x 24″ strip. Then divide the filling and evenly spread down the center of each piece of dough.
- Fold one long side of each piece of dough over the filling. Brush the remaining exposed side with an egg wash and each short end.
- Fold the exposed long side over the other (folded) side and pinch and seal.
Shape, Raise, Bake, Frost
You’re almost ready to bake and enjoy this kringle recipe. First though, we have a few last steps to making it.
- Form each piece of dough into an oval, attaching and sealing the ends. Place (seam-side down) on a baking sheet. Cover it and allow it to rise in a warm place for a couple of hours.
- Apply an egg wash to each kringle, then bake at 375° for about 25 minutes.
- Allow each pastry to cool. Make the frosting and spread some of that love on each kringle.
- Make the salted caramel glaze and drizzle it over each pastry
Common questions about this
These will stay fresh for about five days. We’ve never had one make it past 12 hours, in our household!
Yes, you can freeze this pastry for up to four months. Be sure to seal it well before freezing. Thaw and eat at room temperature or warm it up in the oven before serving.
(kring-ul)
More of our Favorite Pastries
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Danish Kringle Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pastry Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1/3 cup whole milk, cold
- 1 egg, large, cold
- 1 egg white, for egg wash
For the Kringle Filling
- 1.5 cups pecans, finely chopped
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
For the Salted Caramel Glaze
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the flours, sugar, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir together. Next, add this mixture to a food processor. Add the butter and pulse-process a dozen times or so. You'll want the chunks of butter to be chopped to half-sized pieces.
- Combine the egg and milk into a large mixing bowl and briefly stir together with a table fork or whisk if you have one. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir together without over-mixing. Briefly knead the dough by hand then place on a hard, clean work surface. Gently pat the dough into a square or rectangle shape and wrap and seal with kitchen wrap. Chill in the fridge for 6 to 48 hours.
- On a hard, clean, and lightly-dusted work surface, use a rolling pin and form the dough into a rectangle, about 9 x 15 inches in size. Take the short ends of the dough and fold in toward the center (using about one third of the dough on each end.) Turn the rolled and folded dough by 90 degrees and repeat this process using the same dimensions. Use kitchen wrap to wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Repeat the above step 1 more time. Now you have the option of using the dough, storing it in the fridge for 48 hours (wrapped and sealed,) or freezing it for up to 3 months.
For the Kringle Filling
- Grab your butter, brown sugar and nuts and combine them all together in a large bowl.
Shape and Bake
- Use some parchment paper to line two large cookie sheets. Take your chilled dough and evenly divide it in half.
- Use a hard, clean work surface lightly dusted with flour and shape each piece of dough into a rectangle, approximately 5 x 20 inches in shape. Evenly spread about a half cup of the filling down the center of each piece of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2 inch border on each side.
- For each piece of dough, fold one long side over the filling and use the egg whites to brush an egg wash over the other unfolded side and both ends. Now take the unfolded long side and fold it over to the other side as shown in the photos above. Use your fingers to pinch and tightly seal the seams on the side and on the ends.
- At this point the kringle dough may have retracted and gotten shorter. If necessary, gently stretch it out until it is between 20 and 24 inches in length. Take the two ends of each piece of folded dough and bring them together in the shape of a circle or an oval (like a race track.) Seal the ends together by using your fingertips to press and tightly seal. Now, take each circular-shaped unbaked kringle and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Invert them (flip) so the seam is facing downward. Cover with a kitchen towel or kitchen wrap and place the cookie sheets in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
- You'll bake the kringle at 375 degrees. As always, be sure your oven is preheated. Before you bake them, apply an egg wash to the outside. You'll want to bake these to a golden-brown color about 20 minutes. Turn the baking sheets and switch racks (from top to bottom) at about 12 minutes. This will ensure that your kringle bakes nice and evenly.
- These will be very hot when you take them out of the oven. To get rid of any air pockets between the filling and the crust, gently place one baking sheet on top of the other kringle (and then repeat with the other one.) Now place each one to a wire cooling rack.
Make the Frosting and Icing
- In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, vanilla, sea salt and 3 to 4 tablespoons of water or milk. Use an off-set spatula or rubber one and evenly spread the icing over the tops of the pastry and allow it to completely dry.
- For the salted caramel glaze: In heavy small saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in packed brown sugar and granulated sugar. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Then stir in whipping cream and return to boiling. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in sea salt. Cool completely. Then, drizzle the glaze over the icing.
Notes
- This makes two kringles.
- Substitute walnuts for pecans if desired.
- You can substitute lemon juice for vanilla extract in the frosting.
- Oven temperatures vary. Check the kringle at 15 minutes and if it is brown and looks done, take it out of the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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In step 3 of shape and bake it says to use leftover egg whites to seal the pastry. I’ve read the recipe 3 times and don’t see anywhere that it says to separate the egg. Could you clear this up for me? I want to try my hand at this before Christmas. I usually buy them at our local HyVee but they often run out. Ordering from the Racine Kringle store is soooo expensive! The ingredients are not and I bake all the time so I’m going to give it a try.
Thank you,
Sue Clifton
Hi Sue, Thanks for pointing this out. Use the egg white of (another) egg to make this egg wash. We appreciate your question!
When you let it rest for 45 minutes dont you lose your puffed layers
Looking forward to trying this! One question: The ingredients for the salted caramel glaze doesn’t include sea salt, however the instructions for making the glaze does mention sea salt. How much sea salt is needed for the glaze?
Hi Peter. All you need is a pinch of sea salt for both the icing and the glaze. Thanks for the question!
Do you have to use instant yeast
Help! I just tried to roll the dough after the first chill and it was super crumbly! I did substitute the flour for a 1:1 gf blend. Any ideas to fix this? Im worried it wont work out come time to roll it into the long rectangles and there wont be any kringle for me 🙁
When substituting gluten-free flour for regular flour in pastry, it is important to use a gluten-free flour blend formulated specifically for baking. These blends often contain a mix of different flours and starches that mimic the properties of wheat flour. I also recommend that you use a recipe that has been specifically developed for gluten-free flour, as these recipes will have the appropriate ratios of ingredients and techniques to ensure the best results.
Hello, cant wait to try this recipe. How do I make the dough if I dont have a food processor?
You need a food processor to chop up (and incorporate) the cold butter with all of the other ingredients. Otherwise, you can try dicing the butter up with a sharp chef’s knife and putting it all in a mixer.
I used a pastry blender and it came out great! Fantastic recipe!!!
When you let it rest for 45 minutes dont you lose your puffed layers
I have a ton of the filling mixture left over after just putting 1/2 cup in the middle of each pastry. Am I supposed to agev this much left over?
Hi Logan, if you have leftover filling, you can add more or use the leftover as a glaze/garnish.
I stumbled on this by chance and I happen to be danish. I know the recipe have been adjusted to american taste, but if you would like a traditional filling try with remonce (made from almonds) and raisins and almonds on top. Danes would definitely not use cream cheese, we only use cream cheese on top of bread. I will definitely try the dough recipe though.
Absolutely divine! My mother grew up in Denmark and later moved to Canada. Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember (over 55 years!) we have made a special trip to the Danish bakery to buy kringle. This year, the bakery was closed! I followed your recipe and I was so proud of being able to create flakey pastry!
For the filling, I made homemade almond paste, using an online recipe, and then made the almond filling (1/2 cup almond paste, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened). After brushing the pastry with egg, I topped it with sliced almonds and turbinado sugar before popping it into the oven. This was THE BEST KINGLE we have ever had! It tasted authentic but was even better because there was plenty of filling.
*Because this recipe makes two, I soaked some raisins in rum for a few hours (until plump) and added them to one of the pastries for the raisin lovers. It was a hit! Thank you!
Kristin,
Was that almond filling recipe you supplied enough for two Kringles?
Ellen, I had more than enough filling for the two kringles (made from one recipe) but I think I may have added more almond paste to the recipe because I had so much of it, having made the paste myself. But then I had leftovers. I think the link to the recipe should be just right.
Do you have to really use yeast
Thank you for this review! I made this last week but used regular yeast (not instant/rapid rise) and I didn’t use bread flour. I also tried short cuts by not chilling for the 20 min each time and not rolling it out as many times as suggested. It turned out not flaky and very heavy and almost like a cookie. So this time I am following directions! Hahah they are there for a reason! I just a warning to others that might try and make short cuts. 🙂 so far after following directions I’m at the point in the recipe where I can refrigerate it up to 3 days and the dough already looks so much different than before. So excited to try again! 🙂
Do you have a recipe for pumpkin filled Kringle?
Thank you
Hi, I will be making this Danish roll, however, the local grocery store here in Akron Ohio carries the one from Racine which we purchase many times – it only lasts a few minutes! I am wondering if some are made with almond paste as I taste that in the Racine rolls – if you could respond I would appreciate – also they have almonds on top.
Thank you so much
Yes, some are made with almond paste. There are many different variations. My favorites are filled with a raspberry jelly!
I look forward to making. this . I love the way it is written like puff pastry. I love the filling so yummy.
I am originally from Racine, WI and have been looking for a kringle recipe. I will give this a try. Thank you for sharing.
Amy, We appreciate hearing from you and can’t wait to see how you like this kringle!