Danish Kringle

1. Stage

Make pastry: Sift flour into a large bowl. Cut in cold butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly, leaving pea-sized chunks. Stir in sour cream and mix well to form a sticky dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight.

2. Stage

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease or line a baking sheet.

3. Stage

Prepare filling: Mix together brown sugar, 1 cup walnuts, and butter in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.

4. Stage

Divide dough into 3 equal parts; return 2 parts to the refrigerator to keep cold. Roll dough into a 12x17-inch rectangle on a heavily floured surface; flour the top lightly. Position lengthwise on the work surface. Use a sharp knife to cut 4-inch long angled lines, about 1/2 inch apart, along the long edges of the rectangle. Spoon 1/3 of the filling along the length of the rectangle's uncut center. Alternately fold each 1/2-inch-wide strip towards the center, crisscrossing filling in a braid-like fashion. Lightly press together the ends of the strips to seal. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining walnuts. Place pastry braid onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough to form 2 more braids.

5. Stage

Bake pastries in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes.

6. Stage

While pastries are cooling, make glaze: Mix together confectioners' sugar and water in a small bowl until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.

7. Stage

Spoon or drizzle glaze over cooled pastries.