If you know anything about Blair, Nebraska, you know that we take our Danish roots seriously. That's why you need to know about the Danish Kringle, a delectable icing-drizzled, butter-layered pastry that puts the traditional Danish in its place.
In Denmark, the traditional interpretation of the kringle is a pretzel-shaped almond-filled coffee cake. Brought to the U.S. by Danish immigrants, the kringle has evolved over the years as Danish-America bakers added a variety of fillings and changed the Kringle’s pretzel shape to its present oval to eliminate the unfilled, overlapping parts.
Baking a true Danish kringle isn’t something to do if you’re in a hurry. Made the traditional way, they can have as many as 36 layers of delicate pastry dough and take up to three days to prepare.
Fortunately, the recipe we're sharing here gives you great results in a fraction of the time. You'll have a fresh-baked kringle in just a few hours. It will be well worth the wait.
Danish Kringle
Total Time
Prep: 30 min. + rising
Bake: 20 min. + cooling
Yield
Makes 2 kringles (10 slices each)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1 large egg, room temperature, beaten
FILLING:
1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Dissolve yeast in warm water; stir into flour mixture with warm milk and egg. Beat until smooth (dough will be very soft). Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but not more than 24 hours.
Punch dough down. Divide dough in half; refrigerate one half. On a well-floured surface, roll remaining half into a 15x6-in. rectangle.
Combine filling ingredients. Spread half of the filling down center of rectangle in a 2-in. strip. Fold sides of dough over filling; overlapping 1-1/2-in.; pinch edges to seal. Shape into an oval; pinch ends together. Place seam side down on a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Combine confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla; spread over the kringles. Sprinkle with nuts.
Source: TasteofHome.com
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