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21 March 2009

Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries

 The Danish Pastries

Many people think of a "danish" as a type of iced donut with jelly in the middle, but in Denmark it is known as wienerbrød and they will have many varieties at the local konditori.

In 1850 Danish bakers went on strike, so the bakery owners hired foreign workers from Austria to replace them. The Austrians brought their own recipes, which became very popular, and when the strike ended the pastries continued to be made as "Vienna bread" or wienerbrød.

The base of wienerbrød is a dough rolled with butter in many thin layers making the finished pastry very light and airy. It can be shaped in many different ways and filled with marzipan or preserves or topped with nuts, seeds, or chocolate.

Here are some classic types
Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
clockwise from the top left are:
  • frøsnapper - a twisted pastry with poppy and sesame seeds
  • tebirkes - hollow with a smear of marzipan inside and poppy seeds on top
  • spandauer - with a lemon cream and almond centre
  • snegle - a spiral pastry topped with chocolate


Other types usually offered at konditori are:
  • hindbærsnitter - a sweet icing topped pastry filled with raspberry preserve
  • studenterbrød  - a chocolate square with icing and nonpareil (coloured sprinkles)
  • romkugler -  rum flavoured nonpareil crusted truffles
  • linser - a kind of mini tart
  • æblesnitter - apple filled turnover with nuts

Every neighbourhood will have a konditori where these and other pastries are available as well as various breads and cakes.
A kringle with a crown on top is the traditional sign of a konditori and dates back to the time of guilds in the 1500's.
Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries Most bakeries have a small eating counter where you can enjoy your wienerbrød and coffee.

  Konditoriet that I like in Copenhagen:
  • Enghave Konditori - Enghave Plads 7 - in Vesterbrø
  • Johansen's Konditori - Amagerbrøgade 48-  in Amager
  • La Glace - Skoubogade 3 - downtown, Denmarks oldest
  • Reinh. van Hauen - Gammel Kongevej 177 - in Frederiksberg
  • Sø Konditoriet - Nørrebrogade 12 - in Nørrebro

Here is a short video about La Glace, Denmarks oldest konditori (in Danish)



Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries

Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
La Glace - photo from culinary-denmark.com


Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
cinnamon snegle

Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
æblesnitter at Johansen's

Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
linser at Johansen's

Wienerbrød - The Danish Pastries
pastries in the window

photo from ibyen.dk