Kardemommekringle — Danish cardamom pretzel
A knot-shaped pastry (kringle), yeast-leavened and scented with cardamom, golden and glazed with sugar. The sweetness of Danish scholarly afternoons with coffee.
A knot-shaped pastry (kringle), yeast-leavened and scented with cardamom, golden and glazed with sugar. The sweetness of Danish scholarly afternoons with coffee.
When my friends gather to discuss physics and poetry — for mind and beauty are one, I have always maintained — coffee and a warm kringle are brought in. The cardamom, which our ships bring from the Indies, perfumes the room better than any speech. Break off a piece, dip it in your cup: this is how a Dane honours friendship and conversation.
- •Wheat flour — a good amount (base)
- •Brewer's yeast — a little (leavening)
- •Milk — a bowl (liquid)
- •Butter — a generous knob (richness)
- •Ground cardamom — to perfume (aromatic signature)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Egg — 1 (glaze)
Kardemommekringle — Danish cardamom pretzel
A knot-shaped pastry (kringle), yeast-leavened and scented with cardamom, golden and glazed with sugar. The sweetness of Danish scholarly afternoons with coffee.
Why this dish? Ørsted hosted learned and literary circles (his brother was a prominent jurist, his friend Andersen a regular in salons). Cardamom pastry invariably accompanied the coffee at these gatherings where science and letters were discussed.
When my friends gather to discuss physics and poetry — for mind and beauty are one, I have always maintained — coffee and a warm kringle are brought in. The cardamom, which our ships bring from the Indies, perfumes the room better than any speech. Break off a piece, dip it in your cup: this is how a Dane honours friendship and conversation.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — a good amount (base)
- Brewer's yeast — a little (leavening)
- Milk — a bowl (liquid)
- Butter — a generous knob (richness)
- Ground cardamom — to perfume (aromatic signature)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Egg — 1 (glaze)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 400 g (base)
- Active dry yeast — 1 packet (7 g) (leavening)
- Warm milk — 200 ml (liquid)
- Butter — 75 g (richness)
- Ground cardamom — 2 tsp (aromatic signature)
- Sugar — 60 g (sweetness)
- Egg — 1, beaten (glaze)
- Pearl sugar — for decoration (finish)
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, mix with flour, sugar and cardamom.
- Add the soft butter, knead into a supple dough, let rise for 1 hour.
- Roll into a long rope and shape into a pretzel knot (kringle).
- Let rise for 30 minutes, brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
How it was made : The kringle dates back to Nordic bakers' guilds, whose sign was indeed a pretzel. Cardamom, a prestigious imported spice, marked pastries for special occasions and wealthy tables.
The contemporary twist : Filled with a butter-sugar-cardamom remonce rolled inside, kanelsnegl-style, and served on a vintage doily.
Hans Christian Ørsted · Charactorium