Danish Brown Sugar Kringle - ¨Brunsvigers Kringle¨

 - Danish Recipe

Directions:

1. Make the custard the day before by following this link.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dough and mix them together with dough hook on low speed for 6 minutes. 

3. Increase the speed to medium, and mix for 8 minutes more. 

4. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes in the mixing bowl, covered with a tea towel.

5. While the dough is resting, make the brown sugar spread.

6. Whip together the butter and sugar on medium speed (a hand mixer is easiest for this small amount). 

7. Add the custard and mix it together. 

8. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide the dough into 2 pieces. 

10. Shape the 2 pieces into logs and set them to rest for 5 minutes on a floured surface. 

11. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough pieces into rough rectangles of your desired size to be able to eventually form a log and then a circle that will fit on your baking sheet (for me, this is approx. 35x20 cm OR 14x8 inches). 

12. Using a spatula, evenly spread out 1/2 of the brown sugar spread onto the surface of your dough. 

14. With about 1/8 (about 100 g) of the remaining custard spread it out evenly on top of the brown sugar spread. 

15. Dust on top of the custard your desired amount of cinnamon. 

16. Roll the dough length wise, so it creates a long log. 

17. Take the log and put it onto a baking sheet with parchment paper then create a circle with the log, interlocking the two ends inside each other.  

18. Repeat this process with the remaining portion of dough.

19. Place them in a warm place and let them raise for 30 minutes, covered with a tea towel.

20. Using your fingers put together in a hand-shake like position, push down the dough in the middle of dough, following all the way around the kringle so that it is indented deep and you can fill the middle of the dough with custard on top. 

21. Brush the kringles with a whipped egg. 

22. Preheat your oven to 200*C (400 *F). 

23. Using a piping bag or plastic bag, pipe out half of the of the custard (~300g) so that it fills the indented dough all the way around the kringle. Repeat with the remaining amount of custard with the other kringle.

*Optional: sprinkle some chopped or sliced nuts on top of the custard. 

24. Bake the pastries for approx. 15-20 minutes or until they are evenly golden brown.  

25. When the pastry is cooled off, eat the way it is or add icing. 

*(Optional) Icing:

- In a cup or bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water together with a spoon (using hot water ensures the icing will not run down the pastry after you put it on). 

- Add the powdered sugar and mix well. 

- Using a plastic bag or piping bag, drizzle the icing on in your desired pattern. 

Notes:

- You can make a larger portion of custard and use it for other danish recipes or simply eat the custard as is. You can also choose to only make one kringle and use the dough for any of these other danish recipes. Other recipes include: Danish Strawberry Pie, Danish Cinnamon Rolls, Danish Brown Sugar Bread, Danish Cinnamon Twists, Danish Tea Buns or other recipes that you desire! 

- If you prefer to make a larger portion of the brown sugar spread to store for later or use in the Danish Brown Sugar Bread, it's easy to do with a mixing machine using a spatula (cake) attachment.

- You can substitute the butter for margarine or a solid fat (margarine or lard) in the brown sugar spread and custard recipe. 

-You can substitute the butter for oil or any other type of fat/oil of your choosing in the dough recipe. 

- You can substitute the sugar for honey. 

- You can substitute the milk for plant based milk. 

- Stored in an airtight container, the brown sugar spread can last at room temp. for 2-3 days, 2-3 weeks in the fridge, or 6-12 months in the freezer.

- Stored in an airtight container, the vanilla custard can last in the fridge for 2-3 days; I do not recommend freezing it.

- Stored in a freezer bag/container, the raw pastry (non-baked) can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. - In this case, the best method of thawing and proofing the dough would be to let it thaw in the fridge for 6-8 hours and then to let it proof in a warm place or at room temp. for 30-60 minutes before baking. 

-Packed in a bag or airtight container, the finished/baked pastry can last for 2-4 days at room temperature, 6-10 days in the fridge, or 4-6 months in the freezer.