Coming from a long line of Danish bakers, we know good quality when we see it.  We still use their traditional techniques when making our delicious danishes, from Kringle to coffee cakes and brownies to eclairs.  So what is a genuine Danish pastry?

Fun Facts About Danish Sweets

O&H Danish Bakery is steeped in history and tradition.  We place a lot of importance on knowing as much as we can about our Danish history and want to share that knowledge with you!  Did you know that:

“Danish Pastry” Is an Americanism

Hearing the term “Danish pastry” in the U.S.  doesn’t automatically mean it originated in Denmark.  It could mean any sweet, multilayered pastry such as yeast-raised puff pastry that has been enriched with egg and sugar.  At O&H Danish Bakery, we offer authentic Danish sweets using the same pastry dough recipe our family has used for generations.

Austrian Bakers Inspired Many Danish Sweets

Around 1850, Danish bakers went on strike, which prompted local bakery owners to hire foreign workers instead, including many from Austria.  These Austrians were exceptionally talented with a knack for flaky, buttery pastries.

Even when the strike ended, the Danish happily continued these pastry dough techniques, eventually adding decadent ingredients such as eggs and butter to create the flaky pastries we know and love.

Traditional Danish Pastry Dough Was a Mistake

Legend has it that the distinctive flaky dough used in Danish recipes resulted from an error made by a French apprentice baker some 350 years ago.  The baker forgot to add butter to the flour he was using to make dough.  So, he folded lumps of butter directly into the dough to cover up his mistake.

The result was the lightest, flakiest dough he had ever seen.  He set up shop in Italy, where his pastries were a huge success.  The technique spread to Austria, Denmark, and eventually across the Atlantic to where we are today!

Our Tasty Danish Treats

Our wide range of irresistible bakes includes Kringle, Danish bread puddings, cakes, pies, brownies, sweet rolls, and more.  We understand the joy of getting home after a long day or waking up on a cold weekend morning and warming up with fresh coffee and a favorite treat.  That’s why we handcraft each pastry with the highest-quality ingredients and recipes.  Choose any of our mouthwatering pastries to enjoy a slice of Danish life.

Kringle

Kringle are the heart and soul of what we do, using traditional Old Denmark methods for nearly three-quarters of a century.  Originally called Kringler or Kringla in Scandinavia, each Kringle takes three full days to make.  The result is 36 delicate layers of flavorful, flaky pastry stuffed with our fruit or nut fillings and topped with sweet, homemade icing.  Our flavor choices are endless, including everyday favorites and seasonal flavors.

Bread Puddings

We make our decadent and irresistible bread puddings from scratch every day.  Our tantalizing flavors include Danish Cinnamon Apple Bread Pudding — a delicious Danish pastry crust filled with apples, cinnamon, and sweet butter streusel.  Try it with a spoonful of caramel sauce — you won’t be sorry.

Cakes

Our range of delectable cakes includes our Coffee, Crown, and Layer cakes.  We make our coffee cakes with a family Danish recipe yielding an amazingly flaky center, scratch-made fillings, and crumbly streusel topping.

Our Danish Crown Cake is an exquisite Danish pastry that resembles a crown.  This soft and moist Bundt cake fit for a king calls to mind the mystery and royalty of Denmark.  Meanwhile, our Danish Layer Cakes provide the perfect balance of cake and frosting with a hand-decorated exterior for a beautiful cake that tastes as good as it looks.

Other Pastries

We also offer an array of Danish desserts, pastries, and sweet choices.  Our Valhalla Brownies are a popular choice, featuring twelve triple-layer treats with fudge brownie layers, caramel, and delectable toppings, including “The Odin” with vanilla bean icing and “The Thor” with fudge frosting and chocolate curls.  Or try a Sinful Chocolate Eclair — a giant, freshly baked pastry shell stuffed with buttery custard cream and covered with a thick layer of chocolate fudge.

All About the Quality-Obsessed Olesen Family

Around here, we love tradition.  We believe that often some of the best things you can do is honor what your grandparents and parents taught you.  Our family recipes are pure, authentic, and unbelievably delicious.  In the Olesen Family, we are simply obsessed with quality and many conversations have happened around our kitchen table on what we can do to make our pastries better.  That’s why we never take shortcuts when it comes to our baked goods and rely instead on the traditional methods of the generations that came before us.

We also understand that we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the support of our community.  We are passionate about giving back, which is why we use solar power at our bakery, donate to local food shelters, and support other local businesses.  We want Racine to know how much we love being a part of this wonderful city.

Celebrate Everything Danish With O&H Danish Bakery

We’re honored every time a customer steps through our doors or places an online order.  We want every bite to be perfect and every interaction with us pleasant.  Let us know if you have a less-than-excellent experience, and we’ll make it right.  Just like our parents taught us.

Call us old-fashioned, but we believe it’s our job to make your day a little brighter.  Please come and enjoy the good things in life and find out why the Danish are some of the happiest people on earth.  You can also order online or visit one of our locations to find out more.