Pumpkin Cream Cheese Kringle
It's been a while and I apologize for the radio silence. We've (Moses and I) been on the road for about two weeks now making our way through the UK and EU!! Before we left, I felt super ambitious and thought I'd be blogging along the way, sharing recipes and stories from the weeks leading up to our trip, while pulling together fun posts and recaps of the cities we're exploring. But real talk, our days have been so full that at the end of the day, I'm exhausted and I pretty much just pass out dreaming about the next day, instead of hopping on the interwebs to share. And gahhhh, I've got so much to share that I'm practically bursting at the seams. So, please forgive me now, because for the next few weeks I'll be bombarding you with recipes and stories and a ton of photos. Cool? And before I jump into our most recent travels, I've got this sweet little, ok giant, pumpkin cream cheese kringle to share. It's actually inspired by the almond kringle that I had up in Solvang with Lily and Molly, but made with some extra fall-feels aka pumpkin!!
I made this pretzel shaped wonder when I was back in Maui visiting my parents, my grandma, my best friend Kammy, my godson Hanalei, and the newest love of my life, Olena Joy. One of the hardest things about living in LA is that there's a big old ocean separating me from some of my favorite people in the world. Sure, technology is great and I've made some really great use of Facetime as of late, but I'm starting to feel like teleportation needs to be a real thing. Can someone please hurry up with that? How else am I supposed to bake kringles in LA and share them with my godson in Hawaii?
The best part about this kringle is that it's meant to be shared. After all, it's a beast and practically fills the whole sheet pan, so sharing seems to be the best call here. Slice it up into wedges and invite a bunch of friends over or take it to your next work meeting. It's epic with a cup of tea, and believe it or not, it's just as good, if not better, the next day. Somehow the pumpkin and the cream cheese seem to meld together after about a day. All I know is that, it only lasted 24 hours before it was all eaten up and I feel like that's a good sign.
And while I hate to go, I've got to head out and get my steak dinner and a show on. I'm not sure if you're on Instagram, but if you are, be sure to give me a follow (@alanakysar) if you want to tag along. We're currently in Berlin, land of currywurst and pilsner, and on Saturday, we hit our last stop, Copenhagen!!
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. water, heated to 100 to 110°F
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature, divided
Pinch of salt
6 oz. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, room temperature
2 ½ c. + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
OPTIONAL TOPPING
Chopped raw pecans
ICING
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
TOOLS
Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Dough whisk
Stand mixer
Whisk
Parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet
Tea towel or plastic wrap
FIX
DOUGH
Combine water 1 tablespoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. After 10 minutes, add the remaining sugar with 2 eggs, salt, butter, and flour and whisk together with a dough whisk until dough comes together. This can also be done with a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add remaining sugar, eggs, a pinch of salt, butter and flour. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until dough comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky/tacky, but the butter should be thoroughly combined. Transfer to a clean, oiled bowl, and cover with a clean, dry tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
Sprinkle a large, clean work surface with flour and turn out dough. Knead for a minute or two until the dough is no longer sticky and is soft and elastic. Form dough into a log and roll out to approximately 24-inches by 6-inches long. Spread the pumpkin cream cheese filling in the middle third of the long log then fold the inner third of the log over filling followed by the outer third. Now form into a pretzel by bringing the right end toward the middle-left and tucking under that area and repeating with the left end, bringing toward the middle-right instead. Carefully transfer the pretzel shaped kringler to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and sprinkle with raw chopped pecans if desired. Cover with a clean, dry tea towel or oiled plastic wrap for 30 minutes and preheat oven to 425°F.
Beat one egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush on to the top of the dough. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes, checking at about 10 minutes for doneness. If the nuts or dough begin to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a piece of foil. Cool on baking sheet.
When cool, generously drizzle with icing. Serve and enjoy!
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FILLING
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment combine all ingredients and beat on medium speed until smooth.
ICING
In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth.