It’s another gloomy Sunday here in Calgary and despite this being the first weekend of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, the Calgary Stampede, I’m feeling like cozying up and staying inside with a comforting treat, like this Estonian Kringle.
I first discovered the Estonian Kringle on Instagram, when fellow designer, blogger and avid baker, LemonTree Interiors shared her Kringle – it was intricately beautiful and made of cinnamon – I just had to give it ago.
A Kringle is a traditional sweetbread made with cardamom, saffron, raisins or cinnamon and twisted into the shape of a pretzel. It’s considered mandatory in Estonia for birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions – a Canadian in the Wimbledon Final and the Euro 2016 Final all in one day was special enough for me!
After one false start due to not activating the yeast properly, I was able to create a beautiful Estonian Kringle! Once I figured out the yeast, it was surprisingly easy, and fun! While not as beautiful as Sophia’s of Lemon Tree, I’m really happy with how it turned out and most importantly, it tasted delicious!
Ingredients
Dough
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 tbsp sugar
15 g fresh yeast (or 1 envelope active dry yeast)
1/8 cup melted butter
1 egg yolk
Filling
1/4 cup softened butter
4 or 5 tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp grounded almonds, optional
Egg wash (optional)
Directions
In a medium bowl stir fresh yeast with sugar until it liquefies, then stir in lukewarm milk. If using active dry yeast, combine with sugar and lukewarm milk and allow the yeast to completely dissolve (something my impatient self did not do the first time! Then add the egg yolk and melted butter.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and start kneading it until it pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Give the dough the shape of a ball. Sprinkle oil onto a clean bowl, place the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature (warm space) until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, whisk together the butter with sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, using a rolling pin roll the dough to a rectangle of about 18×12 inches.
Spoon the cinnamon filling over top (keep about 1 tbsp of the filling for the end), spreading evenly, leaving a clean 1/2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the almonds over the cinnamon filling if using. Roll up the dough lengthwise and using a sharp knife, cut the log in half, again lengthwise leaving one edge uncut for about 1/2 inch.
Start braiding the two pieces, trying to keep the open layers exposed so the cut ends remain on top. Pinch the ends together and form a wreath. I was nervous the wreath would come apart as it baked, so I used an egg wash to ‘seal’ the ends together, completely optional, but gave me peace of mind :-)
Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the wreath with the left cinnamon filling.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. For the last 10 minutes you can reduce the oven temperature to 180 C (350 F).
Serve it warm as it is or topped with fresh fruits, cream or butter!
