Essentials: Kringle, Racine, Wisconsin
And two bakeries that ship nationwide
To the uninitiated, a kringle might look like a giant, oval-shaped Pop Tart. It’s about the same thickness, and it’s often frosted. But much more time and care goes into this Danish pastry, popularized by bakers in Racine, Wisconsin, in the early twentieth century.
The Racine Danish Kringle company—which secured the domain name Kringle.com—claims that its flaky, buttery base has 81 layers. Its chief rival, O&H Bakery, has the better historical claim: While they’re both family-owned, O&H has been around a generation longer. But you can’t go wrong with either, whether you want a more traditional nut- or fruit-filled variety or you go for something slightly more contemporary, like salted caramel. They also travel well, so don’t fret if you’re far from Wisconsin and need to get your Kringle—the official Wisconsin state pastry since 2013—delivered. —Josh Modell
Josh Modell began his writing career with vicious critiques of his grade school’s cafeteria food. From 2000-2018, he worked in various editorial capacities for The A.V. Club, from copy boy to editor-in-chief to editorial director of the whole Onion Inc. empire. He is currently the executive editor of Talkhouse.