In the foodie world, New York is known for its bagels, and a visit to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without a beignet. Here, in Wisconsin, kringle has put Racine on the foodie map. The city’s cluster of kringle-specific bakeries, which craft these Scandinavian delights, has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times and CBS Sunday Morning.
In addition to lefse or lutefisk, Wisconsin’s Scandinavian settlers gifted us with the much more appealing kringle, a buttery, flaky pastry filled with fruit or nut filling. “Kringle has been a Racine area tradition since Danish immigrants brought the pastry here in the mid-19th century,” said Marie Heyer, director of marketing at Racine Danish Kringles, 2529 Golf Ave., Racine.
Kringle is the Danish word for pretzel, the ancient symbol of the bakers’ guild in Denmark. Kringle pastries were traditionally formed in pretzel shapes, but Racine bakers adopted the oval shape, making it easier to share. Making the kringle’s signature flaky butter dough takes years of practice and old-world skill taught through generations. An authentic kringle has more than 30 thin layers of flaky butter dough, filled with fruit or nut fillings, and usually topped with white icing.
Heyer said that an authentic kringle takes three days to make. “We fold the dough over and over with butter and flour, then we refrigerate the dough, thus creating 81 layers of flake. Our kringles are hand shaped, hand iced and filled with over 30 different flavor options, including traditional flavors such as almond, raspberry and pecan.”
Although the kringle is not historically tied to the holiday season, the treat has become a popular gift. “They are such a tradition here in Wisconsin that many people have fond memories of kringle during this time of year. They are a delicious, unique gift, and an easy bakery pastry to share with a group,” Heyer said.
Racine Danish Kringles bakes about 10,000 kringles a day during the holiday season, with holiday flavors such Merry Berry and Santa’s Cinnaberry. They ship to all 50 states, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico.
Laurits Bendtsen founded Bendtsen’s Bakery (3200 Washington Ave., Racine) in 1934. The shop has the hallmarks of a cozy neighborhood bakery, including display cases that showcase the shop’s 13 kringle varieties formed by hand. Their pecan kringle is the most popular, and they also feature creative flavors such as turtle or cranberry walnut. Kringle lovers can join their Kringle of the Month Club.
O&H Danish Bakery (5910 Washington Ave., Racine) has been producing kringle since 1949. Their 21 flavors include almond, cherry and raspberry, and holiday flavors like eggnog or Christmas Kringle, with chocolate and peppermint filling and red velvet cake bits sprinkled over white icing. In addition to their main store of Washington Avenue, O&H Danish Bakery also has two other locations in Racine, as well as in Sturtevant and Oak Creek.
On what makes an authentic Danish kringle: O&H’s vice president Matt Horton says, “This is often the great debate! We believe that authenticity really starts with the method to make a kringle. Similar to other food, there can be so many ways to add ingredients slightly to make subtle differences in the bakery. However, we truly believe that following the same methods our great-grandparents taught us is the most important lesson. That often involves patience, because each kringle takes three full days to make.”
Horton believes sharing and tradition make kringles a popular part of the holiday season for many families. “We all have memories of the holidays and what makes them special. Often, it’s a mosaic of thoughts—from the company we keep to the decorations we put up to the favorite foods we eat. Many customers view kringles as part of their special holiday traditions, and ithey’re something that they have had at family occasions over the years.”
Lehmann’s Bakery (4900 Spring St., Racine) offers scratch-made fruit- or nut-filled kringles in 14-ounce bars or two 16- or 28-ounce rings. Lehmann’s kringles have a reputation for being hearty and generous with fillings and icing. Larsen’s Bakery (3311 Washington Ave., Racine) uses traditional Danish recipes to create 30 flavors, including almond, cherry or strawberry cheese. They also feature a Kringle of the Month, with December’s being chocolate mint.
Ask five people who makes the best kringles, and you’ll likely get five different answers, proving that there are enough dedicated kringle lovers to keep kringle bakers busy for decades to come.
