Kringle and Lefse, Scandinavian Staples for the Holidays

As the holiday baking season approaches, my Scandinavian roots kick in, and my focus shifts from baking pumpkin scones and similar cool-weather treats to stars of the upcoming holiday show — kringle and lefse.

While Norwegians may lay first claim to lefse, made from potatoes, butter, cream, and flour (hear me out, it’s wonderful), I’ve incorporated it with my Swedish heritage and claimed partial ownership.

Lefse was originally a dry flatbread, made to be stored over long periods of time and soaked when ready to be eaten. Luckily, some bright soul experimented by adding riced potatoes, butter, and cream, resulting in a moist flatbread that pairs perfectly with a spread of cinnamon and sugar.

A similar path emerged with kringle, a buttery, almond-paste pastry brought to Racine, Wisconsin, in the mid-1800s by Danish bakers. You can purchase lefse and kringle at shops like Trader Joe’s, but why do that when you can make them at home? You don’t need to be an experienced baker to become proficient with either of these recipes, but as with most worthwhile things, time and a few basic ingredients will bring rave reviews for these two holiday classics.

Danish Kringle

Dough:

1 1/2 cups softened butter (Splurge on European butter if available, using remaining for lefse recipe below.)

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup milk, whole preferred

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm, not hot, water

2 packages active dry yeast

1 egg

3 3/4 cup flour

Filling:

1 8-ounce can almond paste 

3/4 cup crushed zwieback toast

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Icing:

2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons milk

Mix 1 1/2 cups butter and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Spread mixture on waxed paper to 8-by-12 inches. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Heat milk slightly. Add sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve. Cool to lukewarm.

Pour water into large bowl and sprinkle with yeast, stirring to dissolve. Stir in cooled milk mixture, egg, and 3 cups of flour: mix until smooth. Mix in rest of flour until dough leaves side of bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for half an hour. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and with floured rolling pin, roll out into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle.

Remove wax paper from chilled butter mixture and place on half of dough. Fold the other half of dough over butter mixture and pinch edges to seal. With fold to the right side of your workspace, roll out to an 8-by-16 inch rectangle. From the short side, fold dough into thirds, cover, and chill 30 minutes.

Roll dough again to 8-by-16 inches, fold from short side into thirds, sealing edges if necessary, wrap in plastic and then in a plastic bag, and chill eight hours or overnight. (This rolling, folding, and rolling again is called laminating and is how pastries like croissants get thin, flaky layers.)

Remove from refrigerator, cutting dough in half (refrigerate second half while working with first half). Roll into a long strip, 8-by-22 inches, then cut into thirds lengthwise. Mix filling ingredients and place some down the center of each strip. Pinch edges to seal and braid these three strips. Repeat process with second half of dough. Place braided dough on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise for an hour, or until doubled. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from oven, let cool. Prepare icing and frost each braid. Then pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, slice and savor this wonderful bread.

Lefse (adapted from Minnesota Uncorked)

5 pounds russet potatoes (Russets have high starch content and are perfect for this recipe.)

1 stick high-quality butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Day 1: Preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and bake until they are soft when tested with a fork, about an hour. Remove from oven and let cool until you can easily handle them. Slightly warm potatoes are easier to peel. Remove skins and any eyes or tough spots. Dice the potatoes and then rice them (yes, the old-fashioned potato ricer works wonders.) Melt the stick of butter and incorporate into potatoes. Pat the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan and let cool on a counter for an hour or so, to steam off any excess moisture. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered.

The next day, for every 4 cups of lightly packed, riced potatoes, add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Blend until well-integrated. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball. Place back into the 9-by-13-inch pan and refrigerate to keep the dough chilled.

Preheat griddle to 400. Prepare rolling surface with flour (I use a pastry cloth, continually lightly flouring my rolling pin and cloth as I roll out the lefse).

Take out three or four dough balls at a time, place each on the rolling surface, and lightly flour the dough ball on top. Working quickly with a floured rolling pin, roll out each dough ball until it is very thin. Using a thin, long spatula (search for a “lefse stick” to see what kind of spatula works best), lift the lefse carefully off the rolling surface and place on hot griddle. After about 45 seconds, or when the lefse has some light brown spots showing through, flip the lefse and continue cooking for another 30 seconds or so. Remove from griddle and cool each lefse so that they don’t stick together when storing.

Lefse can be eaten immediately or stored in the refrigerator or freezer if it won’t be eaten in a day or two after making it.

To serve: Bring frozen lefse to room temperature. Spread a little softened butter on each one, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, roll into a cylinder shape, and bite in. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to a Swedish meatball dinner.

Tips: Use round sheets of parchment paper between each lefse. Wax paper works as well. Be sure to cool each lefse before storing. They freeze beautifully. I cut the recipe in half, which has been plenty. It takes an hour or so to cook up half a recipe.

You can access a printable version of this month's KP Cooks here.