Homemade Pastry - Christmas Kringle

I like to post Quick on the Table recipes during the week, but sometimes on the weekends you have time to make something wonderful, something delicious, an extra special treat. Maybe you have overnight guests coming or want to make a super fancy pastry for your family this weekend.  This will be the recipe to try first!  The dough is easy, mixed in a bowl, and no kneading.  It does need to rest in the fridge overnight (or at least eight hours), but time intensive, it is not!  Give it a try and let me know how you like it! 

I made this special pastry for Christmas morning at my house.  It was divine!  It wasn't hard, it wasn't really time consuming, but it WAS YUMMY!  I think its right up there with one of those beautiful shiny pastries you see under glass in boutique-type bakeries.  If I was ever to own a bakery, I would serve this and I bet I would have people lined up out the door!

The recipe makes three or four Kringles, depending on how big you make them.  I divided my dough in thirds and placed one-third of the dough in the freezer for later.  I chose to make cherry and guava.  My mom and I have a special love for all things guava and since we can normally only find guava pastry in our home state of Florida, I decided to surprise her with this Guava Kringle. 

Being a "home cook", my stuff isn't always pretty.  My food isn't always picture perfect (I used too much cherry filling and my Cherry Kringle split the seams) but let me assure you that the taste made up for any imperfections at first glance.

Here's how I made Homemade Pastry - Christmas Kringle AT HOME MY WAY:

Homemade Pastry - Christmas Kringle

 

• 1 package of yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated yeast)
• 1 cup warm milk (110° to 115° - hot but no hurt)
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs,lightly beaten

 

Fillings:  cherry pie filling, apples with cinnamon sugar, guava paste, whatever strikes your fancy

 

 

Icing: 

 

• 2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
• 2 - 3 Tablespoons milk.

Instructions:  Dissolve yeast in warm milk, add sugar, let it sit about 5 minutes to proof (you should see foam forming).  In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly.  Add lightly beaten eggs to the warm milk/yeast/sugar mixture.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry.  Stir until all combined.  You may have to use your hands to get all the ingredients mixed.  Do not knead.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

 

Remove dough from fridge.  Divid into thirds or fourths.  Roll each portion into a rectangle.  Place it on a sprayed cookie sheet.  Spread filling down the center of each rectangle of dough (just a stripe in the middle leaving plenty of dough on both sides).  Cut 1 inch wide strips (think fringe) not cutting all the way to the filling.  Pull each strip over the filling, crossing the strips over each other.  (If you don't want to do this, just fold the right side over and then the left side over.

 

You can bake two pastries on one cookie sheet just allow about two inches between them.

 

Preheat oven to 350° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

 

Combine icing ingredients and drizzle on cooled pastry.