Danish pastry

Lore & Background

The origin of Danish pastry is often ascribed to a strike amongst bakery workers in Denmark in 1850. The strike caused bakery owners to hire workers from abroad, among them several Austrian bakers, who brought along new baking traditions and recipes. The Austrian pastry of Plundergebäck soon became popular in Denmark, and after the labour disputes ended, Danish bakers adopted the Austrian recipes, adjusting them to their own liking by increasing the amount of egg and fat. This development resulted in what is now known as the Danish pastry. One of the baking techniques reportedly brought by the Austrian bakers was the Viennese lamination technique, leading the Danes to call the pastry wienerbrød, a name still used in Northern Europe today.

Danish pastry was brought to the United States by Danish immigrants. Lauritz C. Klitteng of Læsø popularized 'Danish pastry' in the US around 1915–1920. According to some accounts, he made it for the wedding of President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915, but this claim is disputed and not reliably confirmed. Klitteng toured the world to promote his product and briefly had his own Danish Culinary Studio in New York City. Herman Gertner, who owned a chain of New York City restaurants, brought Klitteng to New York to sell Danish pastry, and it immediately became a success.

Reader's Guide

Danish pastry holds significance as a globally recognized baked good that blends Austrian lamination techniques with Danish ingredients and traditions. Its creation is tied to a labor strike in 1850 Denmark, which brought Austrian bakers who introduced Plundergebäck. Danish bakers adapted the recipe by adding more egg and fat, creating a distinct specialty. The pastry's name, wienerbrød ('Viennese bread'), reflects its Austrian roots, though the Danish version differs from the Viennese original. In Denmark, pastries come in various shapes and fillings, such as jam, remonce, marzipan, or custard, and symbolize hygge. Internationally, variations include fruit or cream cheese toppings in the US, vanilla custard in Scandinavia, and dulce de leche in Argentina. The pastry's spread to the US was driven by Danish immigrant Lauritz C. Klitteng, who popularized it in the early 20th century, and restaurateur Herman Gertner. Today, Danish pastry is enjoyed worldwide, with industrial production sometimes using less expensive fats like hydrogenated sunflower oil instead of traditional butter.

Did You Know?

• Danish pastry is called wienerbrød in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, meaning 'Viennese bread'.
• The pastry is made by rolling, buttering, folding, and chilling yeast-leavened dough multiple times to create 27 layers.
• In Austria and Bavaria, Danish pastry is known as Kopenhagener Plunder or Dänischer Plunder.
• Lauritz C. Klitteng popularized Danish pastry in the US around 1915–1920, though the claim that he made it for President Woodrow Wilson's wedding is disputed and not reliably confirmed.

The 1850 Strike and Austrian Influence

In the year 1850, a labor dispute among Danish bakery workers disrupted the country's baking industry. With local bakers walking off the job, bakery owners turned to foreign labor, and among those who arrived were several Austrian bakers carrying with them new techniques and recipes. The Austrian pastry known as Plundergebäck quickly won over Danish palates, and once the strike concluded, Danish bakers absorbed the Austrian methods into their own practice. They adapted the recipes to local taste—boosting the proportions of egg and fat, for instance—until the result was something distinctly Danish rather than a mere copy of the Viennese original. The lamination technique, a Viennese innovation, was among the key skills the Austrian workers introduced. In keeping with a broader Danish habit of the era, when nearly every baked good received an exotic-sounding label, the new creation was christened wienerbrød, or "Viennese bread." That name has stuck across Northern Europe to this day, even though the pastry it describes is now firmly a Danish specialty.

The Architecture of Lamination

At its core, Danish pastry belongs to the viennoiserie family—neither a true bread nor a true pastry, but a hybrid that uses yeast-leavened dough shaped and layered in the manner of puff pastry. The base dough is built from wheat flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and generous quantities of butter. The defining step is lamination: the rolled-out dough is sandwiched with thin slices of butter, then folded and rolled again, repeating the cycle until the structure contains twenty-seven distinct layers. Between each folding, the dough is often chilled to keep the butter manageable and the layers intact. The result is a pastry that bakes up airy and crisp on the exterior while remaining rich and buttery within. While butter remains the traditional fat of choice, industrial producers frequently substitute cheaper options such as hydrogenated sunflower oil to cut costs. The entire process is one of patience and repetition, transforming simple ingredients into a multilayered confection that shatters beautifully when bitten.

A Canvas for Hygge

Within Denmark, the Danish pastry is far from a single, uniform product. It appears in an array of shapes and sizes, each with its own local name: round Spandauers with a central filling, figure-eight twists, spiral "snails," and large pretzel-like kringles. Toppings range from chocolate and pearl sugar to glacé icing and slivered nuts, while fillings might include apple or prune preserves, remonce, marzipan, or custard. The frøsnapper, a twisted pastry dusted with sesame and poppy seeds, is often stuffed with marzipan or custard. Beyond its flavors, the pastry has become a cultural touchstone. In Danish life it is closely tied to hygge, the deeply felt concept of coziness and comfort that permeates everyday culture. Neighboring Nordic countries have their own preferences—Finland, Sweden, and Norway lean toward the Spandauer style with vanilla custard—while in the United Kingdom bakers incorporate cardamom, apricots, cherries, or caramelized toffee. In Argentina, dulce de leche or dulce de membrillo takes center stage, showing how one laminated dough can carry the identity of many cultures.

Crossing the Atlantic

The journey of Danish pastry to the United States was carried by Danish immigrants, but it was one man who truly set it on the American map. Lauritz C. Klitteng, a baker from the island of Læsø, is credited with popularizing the pastry in the US around 1915 to 1920. According to his own account, he prepared Danish pastry for the wedding of President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915, a high-profile moment that put the product in the national spotlight. Klitteng then toured the world promoting his creation and was profiled in 1920s trade publications including the National Baker, the Bakers' Helper, and the Bakers' Weekly. He even operated a Danish Culinary Studio at 146 Fifth Avenue in New York City. His arrival in New York was facilitated by Herman Gertner, a restaurateur who owned a chain of city restaurants. Gertner had befriended Klitteng, who convinced him the pastry would be a hit. Gertner began serving it in his establishments, and it was an immediate success. In the American context, Danishes typically receive a topping of fruit or sweetened cream cheese before baking, distinguishing them from their European counterparts.