Danish Kringle

This recipe is from my father-in-law’s mother who was born and raised in Denmark. It is a wonderful holiday pastry treat that is both beautiful and delicious. Plan to make your dough at least 1 to 2 days in advance–but it’s very simple. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and refrigerate. Creating the kringle takes more time, but it is worth it!

Step: 1

In a large bowl, cut 1 cup butter into flour until crumbly, leaving pea-sized chunks. Stir in sour cream, and mix well; dough will be very sticky. Form dough into a ball. Cover tightly, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.

Step: 2

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Prepare the filling by combining 1 cup butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Step: 3

Divide dough into three equal parts; return two parts to the refrigerator to keep cold. Quickly form 1/3 of the dough into a rectangle, and flour lightly. On a heavily floured surface, roll out to approximately 12x17 inches. Position lengthwise on the work surface. Along the long edges of the dough rectangle, use a sharp knife to cut 4 inch long angled lines about 1/2 inch apart. Spoon 1/3 of the filling along the length of the rectangle’s uncut center. Alternating from one side of the dough to the other, fold each 1/2 inch wide strip towards the center, crisscrossing the filling in a braid-like fashion. Lightly press together the ends of the strips to seal. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form 3 braided danishes. Arrange danishes on prepared baking sheet.

Step: 4

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool for approximately 30 minutes. While the danishes are cooling, prepare the icing: mix confectioners sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle in fine streams over warm danishes.

Per Serving: 411 calories; protein 3.6g; carbohydrates 35.2g; fat 29.6g; cholesterol 59.9mg; sodium 157.2mg.

The quality of the flour can make a real difference to your bread. Different makers do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a best rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which not always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a dough , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.