This Bakery Arguably Has the Best Kringle in Wisconsin

When you think about iconic food in Wisconsin, cheese, brats, and fish fries come to mind. Yet the Badger State isn’t lacking in the pastry department. In 2013, Wisconsin even declared its own state pastry: the kringle. Racine is the country’s kringle capital, and Bendtsen's Bakery has been hand-rolling authentic Danish kringles since 1934.

While kringle is a Wisconsin staple, particularly around the holidays, it’s lesser known throughout the country. Kringle is a sweet European pastry, and its name comes from the Danish word for pretzel. While kringles were originally pretzel-shaped, most found in American bakeries today come in oval shapes. Kringles are made from flaky layers of dough and stuffed with any of several fillings, typically fruit, then typically topped with frosting and nuts.

Wisconsin has a deep Danish heritage to thank for its kringle supremacy. Danish immigrants introduced the pastry to Racine in the late 1800s. Racine has no shortage of beloved kringle makers, from O & H Danish Bakery to Lehmann's Bakery, and every family has their favorite. Mine is Bendtsen's Bakery, where they still roll and fill all 36 layers of pastry by hand as they have for nearly a century. 

Bendtsen's Bakery was founded by a Danish baker named Laurits Bendt Bendtsen. After immigrating to the United States, he learned that Racine had an established Danish community and moved there to join it. He opened his bakery in 1934, and it is still located in the same building today, making it Racine’s longest-running bakery.

Today, Laurits’ descendants still create kringle by hand at the family-run bakery. Hand-rolling each layer of kringle is a labor of love. During the year-end holiday season, Bendtsen's Bakery produces 2,000 kringles a day. It can take about 20 hours to make all those tasty pastries. From start to finish, kringles can take three days to make. Originally, Bendtsen’s offered kringles only in almond and raisin flavors. Today, customers can order kringles filled with flavors like cranberry, custard, apricot, and more. Pecan, served on a gooey butterscotch base, is the most popular flavor.

If you can’t make it to Racine, consider joining Bendtsen's Kringle of the Month Club. Every month, the bakery ships a different flavor kringle to your door. You’ll be the envy of the break room if you decide to share kringles that range from chocolate to date to blueberry. Bendtsen's Bakery does not use any preservatives, and their kringle lasts up to a week, although it is hard to imagine it not getting eaten sooner. Kringle is most often eaten as a breakfast treat with a cup of coffee. 

If you are looking for a mouthwatering foodie road trip, add Bendtsen's Bakery to your bucket list of restaurants to try in Wisconsin. Kringle isn’t the only sweet treat you’ll find at Bendtsen's Bakery. For more information about everything that the bakery offers, visit Bendtsen's Bakery website. If you want to make a trip out of your visit to Racine, check out fun activities like a combination beach and zoo, a glassblowing experience, and a nearby apple orchard where you can take a hay ride.

Ready to road trip for some kringle? Use Only In Your State's AI Travel Planner to plan your trip to Wisconsin.