Weinerbrod


I think it is time to mention Danish pastries!

What is Weinerbrod and why is Denmark known for their pastries?  It turns out there is some history: Apparently back in 1850, there was a strike among bakery workers in Denmark, so bakery owners hired workers from other places, like Austria, who brought their baking techniques like lamination with them. Even after the labor dispute was over, the Austrian pastries continued to be popular in Denmark. So what we call Danish pastries are called Weinerbrod (Viennese bread) in Denmark and called Kopenhagener Plunder in Vienna! 

Being a baker means that I have forced myself to do some research in this area since we've been here! The first pastry we got was called a Spandauer.  We learned later that the name refers to a prison in Berlin called Spandau, because the laminated croissant layers create walls around the protected vanilla custard in the center.
Spandauer
Maybe the most famous pastries in Denmark are cardamom buns. Most are created in a twist form but Chuck's favorite so far is a cardamom croissant from the Hart Bakery [Hart's pastries got a cameo in the TV show The Bear, for those who follow it...]. 
Cardamom croissant twist, tebirkes, & spandauer from Hart













Cardamom bun and almond croissant from La Capra

Another favorite has been tebirkes. The name comes from the (tea) and birkes (poppy seeds). It is a delicious croissant with a filling of marzipan, topped with poppy seeds.

When we visited the Old Town museum in Aarhus, I really enjoyed seeing several bakeries set up as they would have been in 1880s and 1930s. One thing that caught my eye is Studentenbrod, a uniquely Danish pastry which means student bread; it was created as a way to use up leftover pastries and cakes, which were then mixed to make a chocolate filling - the bottom crust got a thin layer of raspberry jam topped by the chocolate filling and often topped with icing, usually with sprinkles. Because they are economically created as a way to use up leftovers, they are cheap enough that students can afford them.
1880s bakery (studentenbrod in middle)










Studentenbrod

Another similar pastry is traestammer (tree stumps!), which I am familiar with from visits to IKEA.  The filling is a similar mixture of leftover pastries, which are then wrapped in a thin layer of marzipan, and then the ends dipped in chocolate.

Traestammer

Good thing we have 5 flights of stairs to get to our apartment!

Getting hungry now so I'll go eat a healthy snack and share more pastry research in a later blog...

Comments

  1. NancySeptember 4, 2024 at 8:20 AM

    Tummies grumbling all over Ann Arbor right now...

    ReplyDelete
  2. CatherineSeptember 6, 2024 at 5:42 AM

    Kathy - thank you for the detailed information and wonderful photos. It's SO interesting to read about the cultural aspects of Danish baking. I have the Studentenbrod on my list of things to try. Didn't know it had an IKEA cousin in traestammer.
    I found a recipe for Caramom Buns with Cream and Marzipan called "semlor" in my Scandinavian cook book. Maybe cardamom buns are a job for Baking Club...
    Take care and keep up your research!

    ReplyDelete

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