History

Danish immigrants brought the kringle to Racine, Wisconsin, in the late 1800s; by 1949 the O&H Danish Bakery in Racine was producing them at scale. The Wisconsin Legislature declared the kringle Wisconsin's official state pastry in 2013. Today Madison-area bakeries including Clasen's European Bakery in Middleton bake kringles year-round, especially around the Christmas holidays, with almond, cherry, pecan and cream cheese fillings the traditional canonical options.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield Serves 12Hands-on 1 hrTotal 8 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500g all-purpose flour
  • 60g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 7g instant yeast
  • 250ml whole milk, warm
  • 2 large eggs
  • 350g cold unsalted butter, cut into thin slabs
  • 300g almond paste or cherry filling
  • 200g powdered sugar for icing
  • 2 tablespoons milk for icing

Method

  1. Mix flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add warm milk and one egg; mix until a soft dough forms. Knead 5 minutes.
  2. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes. Roll into a 12 by 18 inch rectangle.
  3. Lay the butter slabs across two-thirds of the dough. Fold the unbuttered third over, then fold the remaining third on top to create three layers. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough out again to 12 by 18 and fold into thirds. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Repeat for a total of 4 folds.
  5. Roll the dough into a long oval, 8 inches wide by 30 inches long. Spread the filling down the center.
  6. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch to seal. Form into an oval ring and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  7. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Brush with the second beaten egg.
  8. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.
  9. Whisk powdered sugar with milk to make icing; drizzle over the cooled kringle.

Tip from the editors. Lamination is the technique; keep everything cold. Almond paste is canonical; cherry, pecan and cream cheese are also traditional.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat kringle

Kringle in Madison

Clasen's European Bakery ★ 4.4

Tue-Sat 06:30 to 18:00, Sun 07:00 to 16:00, closed MondayWalk-in onlyEuropean tortes, kringle and laminated pastry

Clasen's European Bakery on Donna Drive in Middleton, the family-run European-style bakery serving Madison, bakes kringle, tortes and laminated pastry.

Worth the queue: Almond kringle

7610 Donna Dr, Middleton, WI 53562

Greenbush Bakery ★ 4.6

Until Daily 23:00

Greenbush Bakery on Regent Street, the only certified kosher dairy bakery in Madison since 1998, sells donuts and pastries until 23:00 most nights.

Try: Fresh kosher dairy donuts straight from the fryer

1402 Regent St, Madison, WI 53715

Kringle in Milwaukee

National Bakery and Deli ★ 4.6

Mon-Sat 06:00-18:00; Sun 06:00-14:00Walk-in onlyWisconsin kringle and pastries

National Bakery on South 16th Street has baked Wisconsin kringle, paczki on Fat Tuesday and Polish pastries since 1925, with five locations.

Worth the queue: Almond kringle

3200 S 16th St, Milwaukee, WI 53215

Grebe's Bakery ★ 4.5

Tue-Sat 06:00-18:00; Sun 06:00-14:00Walk-in onlyPolish-American baking

Grebe's Bakery on West Lincoln Avenue is a Polish-American bakery, founded in 1937, with babka, donuts, paczki on Fat Tuesday and a long South Side following.

Worth the queue: Babka

5132 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53219

Peter Sciortino's Bakery ★ 4.7

Tue-Sat 07:00-18:00; Sun 07:00-13:00Walk-in onlyItalian-American baking and cookies

Peter Sciortino's Bakery on East Brady Street is the city's Italian-American bakery since 1948, with cannoli, biscotti, Italian wedding cookies and weekday.

Worth the queue: Cannoli

1101 E Brady St, Milwaukee, WI 53202

More cities are in research. Want kringle covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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