A pastry this wide is already making a strong case for sharing.
Whether that actually happens is another question.
Kringle comes in a big oval, with flaky layers wrapped around something sweet. Slice off one piece and going back for another feels completely reasonable.
Wisconsin has been claiming this Danish tradition for generations, and in 2013 it even became the official state pastry.
That is serious pastry status.
The fillings can go nutty, fruity, or extra rich, making one box surprisingly hard to choose.
I would start with whatever sounds hardest to share. Then add coffee and see how generous everyone feels.
Because an oval pastry may technically be made for the table. That does not mean the last slice is safe.
1. O&H Danish Bakery
Pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon are a combination that needs little introduction. Tucked into layers of buttery dough, they make the bakery’s pecan kringle a practical first choice for anyone exploring Wisconsin’s signature pastry.
Raspberry offers a contrasting fruit-filled option, and the two are available together as a gift pair.
At O&H Danish Bakery, the dough takes three days to prepare and develops 36 layers. That careful folding is central to the shop’s version of kringle: a broad pastry ring with filling running through its interior rather than sitting on top like a conventional tart.
The Olesen family began the business in 1949, and four generations have continued the Danish baking tradition.
Today the bakery operates several southeastern Wisconsin locations.
The Washington Avenue shop gives visitors a place to browse kringle and other baked goods, pick up coffee, or order a made-to-order sandwich.
Your biggest decision may be whether to stay with a familiar filling or explore one of the changing seasonal selections. Apple, cream cheese, and cinnamon are among the everyday flavor possibilities, while special combinations appear at different times of year.
Kringle is easy to bring to a gathering because the oval can be sliced into small portions. One ring works for sharing at breakfast, with afternoon coffee, or as a dessert after dinner. If you’re traveling, the bakery also offers packaged kringle for shipping.
For an easy tasting, set the slices on a platter with the filling visible. Guests can choose a fruit piece or a nut-filled piece without having to guess what is inside.
Take a look at the pastry case before settling on a flavor. A second kringle is a reasonable plan when one needs to make it all the way home.
Address: 5910 Washington Ave, Racine, WI 53406.
2. Bendtsen’s Bakery
Hand-shaped kringle is the main attraction here, but there is a small ordering detail worth knowing before you choose your pastry: online kringles come with a sugar topping, while a frosted version is available in the shop.
That means the finish is part of the decision, not an automatic feature of every ring.
The business began in 1934 when Danish-born baker Laurits Bendt Bendtsen opened a business in West Racine.
The bakery continues to operate from the same Washington Avenue location, keeping the neighborhood connection as much a part of its story as the pastry.
Pecan is a longstanding option, with roasted pecan available as a separate variation. Almond and apple add two more traditional directions, while cherry, raspberry, apricot, and blueberry offer a fruitier route through the selection.
A bigger appetite opens up some less expected combinations. Bendtsen’s Bakery currently offers cheesecake-based kringles, such as raspberry cheesecake and cherry cheesecake, along with turtle and butterscotch versions.
Availability can vary, so a particular flavor is worth checking before a special trip.
Each kringle is made by hand, and the pastry is sold both in-store and for shipment. Its broad oval shape makes it simple to cut several modest pieces rather than serving one oversized slice.
For a first visit, compare a nut filling with a fruit option. Those two styles show how much difference the center of a kringle can make without changing the pastry itself. A quick question at the counter can also settle the topping choice.
That matters when someone at the table prefers a lighter sugar finish over a frosted slice.
Address: 3200 Washington Ave, Racine, WI 53405.
3. Racine Danish Kringles
Pecan, almond, and raspberry offer three very different directions for a kringle tasting. One brings a nutty filling, another leans into almond’s distinctive sweetness, and the third adds a fruity contrast to the buttery pastry.
Start with whichever sounds most appealing, or bring home two flavors to share.
These familiar choices are part of a much larger selection at Racine Danish Kringles, a third-generation family business devoted to Wisconsin’s signature Danish pastry.
The bakery follows a tradition brought to Racine by Danish immigrants in the late nineteenth century, shaping its kringles into broad ovals with sweet fillings tucked between delicate layers of dough.
The selection extends beyond the classics. Cinnamon offers a warm, spiced option, while combinations such as pear almond bring fruit and nuts together in one pastry.
Seasonal selections introduce additional possibilities, so there’s room to experiment when you return for another box.
Unlike a neighborhood bakery with a large assortment of breads and cakes, this business focuses specifically on kringle.
Its production facility on Golf Avenue welcomes customers purchasing pastries in person, and nationwide shipping makes it possible to send a box beyond Wisconsin.
A little planning helps when you’re buying for several people. Choose contrasting fillings, slice each oval into smaller portions, and arrange them together so everyone can sample different flavors.
The pastry can also be frozen for later, making an extra kringle a practical addition to your order.
Your biggest decision may be whether to open the box immediately or save it for coffee at home. Either way, the combination of flaky pastry and sweet filling gives you an easy introduction to Racine’s Danish baking tradition.
Address: 2529 Golf Ave, Racine, WI 53404.
4. Lehmann’s Bakery
More than 48 layers go into the dough at this longtime kringle maker, giving the bakery’s oval pastries their characteristically thin, folded structure. The preparation stretches across three days, with the dough rested between stages before it is filled and shaped.
The family business traces its baking tradition to the 1930s and now welcomes customers at its Sturtevant shop. Its kringle is finished with a honey glaze and creamy icing, distinguishing that style from bakeries where a plain sugar topping is another standard choice.
Start with a nut filling if you want to focus on familiar Danish flavors. Pecan and almond are available, and the nut range also extends to apple walnut, cranberry walnut, pineapple pecan, and custard pecan. Each creates a different balance between the pastry and its center.
Fruit fans can turn to raspberry, apple, cherry, strawberry, apricot, or blueberry. Cream cheese offers another direction, and combinations such as cherry cheese bring two fillings into the same ring.
Lehmann’s Bakery also carries other baked goods, including coffee cakes, strudels, pastries, muffins, and cookies. That makes it useful when not everyone traveling with you is in the mood for an entire kringle.
A small group can sample contrasting flavors by cutting narrow portions from each oval. Coffee or cocoa makes an easy companion, and any extra slices can be packaged for later.
You can also choose one fruit flavor and one nut flavor instead of trying to cover the entire display case.
It keeps a shared breakfast simple and varied.
The shop sits west of Racine, making it a convenient addition to a broader southeastern Wisconsin pastry outing.
Address: 9117 Durand Ave, Sturtevant, WI 53177.
5. Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe
Salted caramel and pecans are the signature pairing at this De Pere bakery. The Sea Salt Caramel Pecan kringle starts with a filling of pecans, butter, sugar, and cinnamon, then adds Danish icing, caramel drizzle, sea salt, and more pecans on top.
Unlike the broad oval associated with Racine’s classic version, this bakery shapes its kringle in a more traditional pretzel form. That makes it an interesting stop if you’ve already sampled the southern Wisconsin styles and want to see another interpretation of the pastry.
The business began in De Pere in 2001 and has grown to multiple locations in the Green Bay area. Its original Dickinson Road bakery still serves kringle alongside breads, pastries, and coffee drinks.
At Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe, go with the Sea Salt Caramel Pecan when you want the full sweet-and-salty combination. The shop also carries fruit varieties, including Door County Cherry, if a fruit filling sounds more appealing than nuts and caramel.
Because a kringle can be divided into small slices, it works well as something to bring to a gathering. Packaged versions are also offered for nationwide shipping, although delivery choices and pricing differ from an in-store pickup.
For an easy breakfast pairing, order brewed coffee alongside a slice. The coffee gives the caramel and cinnamon something simple to sit beside rather than competing with another sweet pastry.
For travel, keep the pastry level inside its box so the icing and topping stay in place.
Slice it after you arrive rather than balancing individual pieces in the car.
Address: 1840 Dickinson Rd, De Pere, WI 54115.
6. Lane’s Bakery
The Madison-area kringle story has a newer chapter in Middleton. After its former Madison storefront closed, Lane’s Bakery returned in a different form, with a bakery operation on West Greenview Drive and a mix of walk-in, preorder, wholesale, and custom-order service.
The business has nearly seventy years of history and remains associated with kringle, alongside cronuts, cookies, cupcakes, and whipped cream cake. Its Middleton location gives area travelers a chance to seek out the pastry without driving all the way to Racine.
A kringle is a useful choice when you’re bringing breakfast for several people. Its ring shape means you can offer small slices beside coffee, then leave the rest for later rather than dividing up a single large cake.
For the most straightforward visit, use the weekday walk-in hours, currently listed as Monday through Friday in the morning and early afternoon.
Special pop-ups and weekend pickup arrangements can differ from regular counter service, so it’s sensible to plan around the bakery’s announced schedule.
Not in the mood for a full kringle? The other baked goods make it possible to put together a smaller assortment. Cookies and cupcakes are easy to share, while the whipped cream cake is another choice when you’re shopping for a celebration.
The Middleton setting also provides a natural pause during a day of exploring the Madison area. Pick a pastry for the trip, bring along a hot coffee, and save the remaining slices for an afternoon snack.
Because operating arrangements can vary, treat a special weekend pickup differently from an ordinary walk-in visit.
Confirm the pickup instructions when placing a larger order.
Address: 2120 W Greenview Dr, Middleton, WI 53562.
7. Paielli’s Bakery
Italian breads and Danish kringle share the shelves at this Kenosha bakery, giving you an opportunity to plan breakfast and take home something for later. The shop’s selection also includes rolls, doughnuts, cookies, cannoli, éclairs, cream puffs, and celebration cakes.
The family bakery began in 1923, when Sante and Matilda Paielli opened their family business. The bakery moved to its present 39th Avenue location in 1956 and continues to combine bread production with a neighborhood retail counter.
Kringle belongs on the shop’s current list of sweet goods. That makes it a fitting stop for a Wisconsin pastry outing, even though the business is equally known for its Italian baking tradition and everyday breads.
The case presents a tempting choice: stick with kringle for the day’s theme, or pick up another pastry to compare it with. A cannoli brings a filled shell rather than laminated dough, while biscotti provides something crisp to dip into coffee.
For an order from Paielli’s Bakery intended for a gathering, it’s worth calling ahead. The bakery asks customers to place orders by phone, and that is also the simplest way to ask which kringle varieties are available for pickup on your chosen day.
Take one of the oval pastries home whole, then slice it into smaller pieces when you’re ready to share. This approach makes it easy to offer dessert without needing plates full of enormous portions.
When arranging a larger dessert table, ask which kringle fillings are available rather than assuming every variety is made every day.
That small step simplifies planning.
A visit here is as much about the interesting bakery mix as it is about a single pastry: Danish-style kringle beside the breads and sweets of an Italian-American family business.
Address: 6020 39th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53142.
8. Oliver’s Bakery
Kringle is only one part of the pastry case at this longstanding Kenosha shop, but it’s a recognizable part of the bakery’s identity. The selection also includes cakes, seasonal pastries, and doughnuts, offering several directions for a morning stop.
The bakery has been operating on Roosevelt Road since 1953. Its kringles come with tender, flaky pastry and rich fillings, and its displays have included seasonal versions decorated for autumn and winter occasions.
A fall visit may bring a pumpkin kringle into the mix; holiday creations can also feature seasonal shapes or decorations. Since such versions aren’t year-round guarantees, check the day’s available selection if a particular design is on your shopping list.
There are other reasons to visit beyond the ring-shaped pastry. Custom cakes are an important part of the business, and the bakery also prepares doughnuts and other sweets. You can choose a single breakfast treat or put together an assortment for a group.
At Oliver’s Bakery, the simple plan is to pick a kringle to share and add a few smaller pastries if different people prefer different flavors. That gives everyone a choice without making dessert into a complicated production.
The shop operates early in the day and closes on Sundays and holidays. Morning is therefore the most practical time for a stop, especially when you’re fitting it around other Kenosha activities.
Bring a box along if you’re exploring the city’s lakefront afterward. A sliced kringle makes an easy companion for coffee once you’ve finished sightseeing. For a mixed breakfast box, consider a kringle alongside a few individual pastries.
It gives people the option of a slice or their own treat without requiring multiple large cakes.
Address: 3526 Roosevelt Rd, Kenosha, WI 53142.