Great-grandmother's Kringle

Great-grandmother’s kringle - kvalifood.com

An old-fashioned yeasted kringle with a simple filling of butter, icing sugar, orange zest, and raisins. The kind of baking that belonged at the coffee table and Sunday spread — nothing showy, but solid and good. The dough is rich in butter and needs only a short rise, so the kringle can be on the table within an hour.

Ingredients

Yields 1 kringle

Dough

  • 400 g bread flour (high protein preferred)
  • 50 g fresh yeast
  • 200 g butter (or margarine)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 dl cream (or milk)

Filling

  • 100 g butter, softened
  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 50 g raisins

Topping

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • chopped almonds
  • pearl sugar

Directions

Dough

Crumble the yeast into the cold milk or cream and stir until dissolved. Add the butter in pieces, sugar, and flour, and knead everything together until the dough is smooth and even — about 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Filling

Beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until smooth. Grate in the orange zest and stir in the raisins.

Shaping and baking

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 15 x 85 cm on a lightly floured surface. Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface and roll the dough up loosely lengthwise. Shape the roll into a kringle and place it on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let it proof in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) conventional heat. Brush the kringle thoroughly with the beaten egg and sprinkle with chopped almonds and pearl sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the kringle is golden and baked through.

Notes

The original recipe dissolves the yeast in cold — not lukewarm — liquid, which is unusual. Cold liquid works, but the yeast activates more slowly. Modern recipes typically use lukewarm liquid (about 100°F / 37°C), which gives a more predictable rise.

Flour with around 12% protein gives better structure and a chewier crumb.

The dough can be cold-proofed overnight in the refrigerator — use about 25 g yeast instead of 50 g in that case. Shape the kringle the next morning and let it proof at room temperature for 30–40 minutes before baking.

Cool under a kitchen towel to keep the crust from getting too hard.