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Birthday Wreath

Birthday wreath (fødselsdagskrans) from Erken's Stor kokebok (1914): a rich yeast dough with 450 g flour, cold milk, 3 eggs, 200 g melted butter, cardamom, and candied orange peel; the dough is tied in a damp cloth and rises in a bucket of cold water overnight, shaped into a wreath, brushed with egg, sprinkled with almonds and sugar, and baked about 30 minutes.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 543 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

This is the old "water dough": a rich yeast dough that is tied firmly into a half-wet cloth and placed in a bucket of cold water overnight. The cold, slow rise gives a particularly fine, chewy crumb. Erken gives precise times of day — the dough is set at around seven in the evening and taken out early the next morning.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Make the dough

    Sift the flour. Whisk the milk with the eggs and stir it into the flour. Add the yeast dissolved with the sugar, the melted butter, the finely ground cardamom, and the orange peel. Add more flour until the dough becomes fairly firm.

  2. 2

    Work the dough well

    Work the dough for half an hour, until it is completely smooth.

  3. 3

    Cold rise in water

    Place the dough at once in a tight, half-wet cloth tied firmly together, and put it in a bucket of cold water. Set the dough at around seven in the evening. (Alternatively: place the dough in a tight bag in the refrigerator overnight.)

  4. 4

    Take out and shape the wreath

    Take the dough out early the next morning, work it quickly on a floured board with as little flour as possible, and shape it into a wreath. Place the wreath on a greased baking sheet.

  5. 5

    Brush and proof

    Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with coarsely chopped almonds, and let the wreath rise for 15 minutes.

  6. 6

    Bake

    Sprinkle generously with sugar and bake in a hot oven, about 200 °C (390 °F), for around 30 minutes.

Changes from the original

Measurements have been converted to modern units, the baking temperature (200 °C (390 °F)) has been added where the original says "hot oven," and the garnish (egg, almonds, sugar) has been listed as separate ingredients. The cold rise in a bucket of water can, in a modern kitchen, be replaced with the refrigerator in a tight plastic bag.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 543) → 1949 (proofread, p. 630)~35% of the text changedremovedadded
Wienerkringle. Fødselsdagskrans. 450 gr. hvetemel 1 1/2 1½ del. kold melk 3 egg 50 gr. gjær 30 gr. sukker 200 gr. smør 1 teske teskje kardemomme 100 gr. syltet appelsinskal. appelsinskall. Melet sigtes siktes og irøres melken, vispet med eggene, tilsættes tilsettes gjæren, utrørt med sukkeret, det smeltede smør, den finstøtte kardemomme og appelsinskallet, tilsættes tilsettes hvetemel, til deigen blir temmelig fast; deigen arbeides 1/2 ½ time, lægges legges straks i et tæt, halvvaatt tett, halvvått klæde, som knyttes haardt hårdt sammen, og lægges legges i en bøtte med koldt vand. vann. Deigen sættes settes ved 7-tiden om aftenen og tages tas op tidlig næste morgen, arbeides hurtig paa på melet bakefjæl bakefjel med saa litet så lite mel som mulig, dannes til en krans, som lægges paa legges på smurt plate, pensles med egg, strøes med grovhakkede mandler, hæves 1/4 heves i ¾ time, strøes rikelig med sukker og stekes i varm ovn ca. 1/2 ½ time. Istedenfor appelsinskal appelsinskall kan man ha finskaaren finskåren sukat i.

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Frequently asked questions

Why is the dough placed in cold water?
This is an old "water dough" method: the dough is tied firmly into a tight, half-wet cloth and placed in a bucket of cold water. There it rises slowly overnight — set at around 7 in the evening and taken out early the next morning (hence the roughly 13-hour total time).
What gives the wreath its flavor?
1 teaspoon finely ground cardamom and 100 g candied orange peel in the dough, plus 200 g butter. The wreath is brushed with egg and sprinkled with coarsely chopped almonds before baking.
How long must the dough be kneaded?
The dough is worked for half an hour, until fairly firm, and then placed at once in the cloth. The next morning it is worked quickly on a floured board with as little flour as possible and shaped into a wreath on a greased sheet.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914), page 543. It is intended for about 12 servings.

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