Det Rene Brød
Grov Birkes
Kanelsnegle
Hazelnut Cream Danish
Strawberry Tart with Chocolate and Cream (Jordbaerkage)
Carrot Loaf
Chocolate and Caramel Covered Marzipan
With Andersen Bakery shuttering both locations permanently on 6/28/17 and many other Copenhagen establishments closed on Sundays it was to Det Rene Brød at Godthåbsvej 45 in Frederiksberg that the bike was steered on July 2nd, a 7:00am arrival finding the place fairly busy for a city where few are frequent Church-goers, the clientele entirely local and several of them clearly regulars.
Still a family owned business since opening in 1988, though now with a couple of locations around the city, Det Rene Brød roughly translates to “Pure Bread” and although quite similar to Lagkagehuset and Meyers Bageri there is something that immediately seems more ‘homey’ about the space, a rustic sort of charm in the way things are displayed and cute signs about the virtues of Coffee as well as patience.
Offering both savory Breads and Pastries, an elderly Baker visible behind the counter manning an oven that renders the interior of the space quite warm, it was after scanning the goods a couple of times that the decision was made to invest in a total of six items, the price after tax just under $20USD and first bites of the seed-covered Grov Birkes impressive in just how much the Danish palate differs from America, the thin layer of Jam only slightly sweet and the overall flavor not dissimilar to the Sesame Steam Buns occasionally seen at Chinese Restaurants.
Getting more sugary from here forward, though even something as simple as Icing seems to be made less sweet in Copenhagen, a second encounter with Jordbaerkage proved far more successful than the first thanks to darker Chocolate and fresher Berries while the Carrot Cake here was also better than Laura’s or Lagkagehuset thanks to an ample amount of grated Vegetables and Nuts, the lack of Frosting made up for by buttery Streusel teaming with Ginger, Cloves and other Spices.
Told that it might be a good idea to let the Danish settle for a few more moments, the desire to eat it hot balanced by one of not wanting to lose any of the semi-solid Custard, it was after perhaps ten minutes that the laminated square was torn in half to find the center still jiggly, the Eggy custard again reminiscing a classic Dim Sum selection while the Hazelnuts offered a nice textural contrast despite not really affecting the flavor too much.
Rounding out the visit with a Cinnamon Roll plus a chilled square best described as a Klondike Bar replacing Ice Cream with Marzipan, those looking for the best Kanelsnegl” in the city need look no further than Det Rene Brød, the flattened coil allowing more surface area to come into contact with the heat and thus become more crispy while the laminated dough holds up well to a whole lot of Butter and Cinnamon plus a thin swirl of Icing.
www.detrenebroed.dk/