Kringle

"Kringle" is a type of pastry made in all the Nordic countries, Germany, and probably also elsewhere. In Denmark there are two main variants - one using puff pastry ('butterdej'), and one use a butter-heavy yeast dough.

This recipe is for the yeast dough version - which is why it's also named a gærkringle (yeast-kringle). While that may sound vaguely off-putting, it's a surprisingly easy and delicious pastry to make, and has for centuries been served as a part of a Sønderjysk Kaffebord. It vaguely resembles an apfelstrudel and might have been brought here by Austrian bakers back in the day.

Please note that this is a basic recipe with a simple filling. You can add all sorts of filling to a kringle - marcipan, raisins, prunes, various spices - so please innovate, you can be certain your great great grandmother did the same.

Ingredients

There're two parts to the recipe - a butter loaded bready yeast dough and the filling.

For the dough:

• 200g butter
• 300g wheat flour
• 25g fresh yeast - adjust accordingly for dried yeast
• 2 tbsp lukewarm water
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar

For the filling:

• 75g butter
• 50g brown sugar (brun farin)
• 2 apples
• 1 egg (not pictured, oops)
• Chopped almonds and danish perlesukker (pearl sugar) for sprinkling on top

Lots of people add raisins here, but because I am a man of culture and refinement I don't. What you do is between you and whichever baking-god you worship.

Preparation

First make the dough:

1. Mix the butter and the flour together well
2. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water, then add the eggs, and mix with the flour and butter
3. You will have a soft, sticky dough - knead it for a while until it becomes stretchy
4. Place the dough on a baking tray with baking paper and roll it into a rectangle approximately 15 cm wide and ½ a cm thick

Then make the filling and put everything together:

1. Peel and core the apples, the cut them into small pieces
2. Mix the butter, brown sugar, and apples (and anything you might want to add)
3. Add the filling to the center of the dough, then fold the sides over each other
4. Cover the kringle and let it rise for 30 minutes
5. Brush the kringle with a beat egg, then sprinkle chopped almonds and pearl sugar on top
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 200°C.

Let it cool off for a bit before serving with e.g. creme fraiche or whipped cream.