Description
This Wisconsin Apple Kringle recipe offers a deliciously flaky, buttery pastry filled with sweet apple pie filling and a hint of cardamom. Layers of tender dough envelop a luscious apple center, topped with a smooth vanilla glaze, making it a perfect treat for breakfast or dessert. The dough is carefully layered like a croissant, refrigerated for flakiness and baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/3 cup whole milk, cold
- 1 egg, beaten
Filling
- 2 – 21 oz. apple pie filling
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cold water
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients: In a food processor, combine the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, active dry yeast, ground cardamom, and kosher salt. This step ensures even distribution of dry components.
- Incorporate butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture and pulse 10 to 12 times until the butter pieces are pea-sized, creating a flaky texture in the dough.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the cold whole milk and beaten egg to the food processor, pulsing until the dough just begins to come together.
- Form dough and refrigerate: Transfer the dough onto a cutting board and bring it together into a rough ball. Shape into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to develop flavor and texture.
- Layer the dough: On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into an 8×15 inch rectangle. Fold it into thirds like a brochure, rotate, and repeat the rolling and folding process once more. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Repeat layering: Repeat the rolling and folding process three more times in total to build layers, then refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375º F (190º C) and line two sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Shape the kringles: Divide the dough in half, rolling each half into a 6×24 inch rectangle on a floured surface.
- Add apple filling: Spread a thin layer of the apple pie filling along the center of each dough rectangle. Roll one edge over the filling, pinching to seal the seam. Brush the exposed edge with egg white and fold over to seal completely.
- Form dough rings: Transfer the stuffed logs to the prepared parchment trays and shape each into an oval ring.
- Proof and bake: Brush each kringle with egg white and let them proof in a warm place for one hour to rise. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden and cooked through.
- Make glaze and finish: Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cold water until slightly runny. Immediately glaze the warm kringles and let the glaze set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- For best texture, keep butter and liquids cold throughout the dough preparation.
- Allowing the dough to rest overnight helps develop flavor and flakiness.
- Layering the dough multiple times creates the characteristic flaky texture of the kringle.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter and mix by hand but it may take longer.
- The apple pie filling can be substituted with other fruit fillings like cherry, blueberry, or apricot for variations.
- Store leftover kringle in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
