Bread Baking Day #86: The Final Act (Kugelhopf)

As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."   So it is with Bread Baking Day. 

Founder and inspiration, Zorra, announced in early January that this would be the final BBD.  In its honor, we were challenged to bake a yeasted Kugelhopf/Gugelhupf.

Years ago, when baking with the Tuesdays with Dorie group, one of the recipes was a Kugelhopf.  Although I could have made it a second time, I decided to find a new recipe.  I chose this one from David Lebovitz, and it was definitely an excellent choice.  In addition, it allowed me to use some of the orange flower water that I had purchased for a previous bread recipe, Fouace Nantaise.

I tweaked the recipe in little ways.  I used golden raisins, soaked in dark rum, and a combination of lemon and clementine zest. 

For the soaking glaze, I used the orange flower water -- a healthy tablespoon-full.  Since I still don't have a kugelhopf pan, I used my bundt pan.  On a sadder note, the last of my favorite yeast went into this bread.  I've had it for many years and never doubted its potency.  The large package was stored in the freezer, and I decanted out a small jar for the fridge, refilling it when necessary.  I'm hoping its successor will be just as reliable.

Stop by Zorra's website in the next few days to see all the beautiful kugelhopfs.  Thanks, Zorra, for all the wonderful bread baking challenges.  I will definitely miss the fun.

I'll definitely miss this bread as well.  I shared some with friends, but it's too delicious to last very long!



Kugelhopf

(from David Lebovitz)

8 servings

Ideally, you want to use a high-sided Kugelhof mold or bundt pan that has a 6 to 8 cup (1,5-2l) capacity. I made it in a larger-sized bundt pan (10-inch/25cm) and it works fine, but the cake will be lower than a traditional Kugelhopf and will take less time to bake. I don't use instant yeast (nor did I use fresh cake yeast for this cake), but if you want to use one of those, check the manufacturer's website for instructions on substituting them for the active dry yeast.

Sponge

1/2 cup (125ml) whole or lowfat milk

3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope, 7g)) active dry yeast

2/3 cup (90g) flour

Dough

1/2 cup (80g) raisins

1 tablespoon dark rum or kirsch

10 tablespoons (5 ounces, 140g), unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature, plus additional soft butter for preparing the pan

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 cup (140g) flour

1/3 to 1/2 cup (30-40g) sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched, for preparing the cake pan

One 6- to 8-cup kugelhopf pan, or a 10 cup/25cm bundt pan (see headnote)

1. Make a sponge by warming the milk over low heat in a small saucepan until it’s tepid. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in 2/3 cup (90g) flour. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

2. Butter the inside of a kugelhopf mold or bundt pan very well then scatter sliced almonds over the inside of the mold, pressing them in a bit and turning the mold so there is a relatively even coating of almonds. Gently tilt out any excess almonds.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the raisins and the rum, and set aside.

4. Add the cubed butter to the sponge and attach the bowl to the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the salt, citrus zest, and vanilla until incorporated.

5. Beat in the egg and the yolk until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl

6. On low speed, mix in the 1 cup (140g) of flour. Once the flour is incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 3 minutes.

7. Beat in the raisins and any liquor in the bowl.

8. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough begins to puff, about 30 minutes.

9. Make a hole in the center of the dough with your hands and stretch the dough out so the hole will be is large enough to go around the center of the kugelhopf mold or pan. Lift and transfer the dough into the cake pan. Make sure it's of even thickness all the way around. (A damp hand works well for that.) Cover the mold with a kitchen towel or buttered plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If using a kugelhopf mold, it should reach to the top, or almost to the top, of the mold. If using a larger bundt pan, it will likely take the maximum amount of time to rise.

10. Fifteen minutes before the dough is fully risen, preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC). Bake the kugelhopf until it’s deep golden brown across the top, about 40-45 minutes. (In a large bundt pan, the cooking time will be closer to 25 minutes.) When done, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes.

11. While the cake is baking, make a glaze by bringing 1/3 cup of water (80ml) and 1/3 cup (65g) of sugar to a boil. Remove from heat once the sugar is dissolved and add 1 ½ teaspoons of orange flower water or 2 tablespoons of rum or kirsch. Poke the kugelhopf 35 times with a skewer and liberally brush half of the syrup over the cake, repeatedly, letting it absorb. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet (to catch any dripping syrup), and brush the rest of the syrup, repeatedly, over the top and sides (and the inside hole) of the cake. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Storage: The kugelhopf is better served the same day, or the day after it's made. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped.

BBB: Fouace Nantaise

Here in southern California, we're finally having a winter, the first in many years.  This means cool temperatures, blustery winds, and -- wait for it -- rain!  Six years with little to no precipitation is challenging, although too much at one time is not good either.  Just today, there was sufficient rain to cause flooding up in Santa Barbara.

While the cooler weather and rain are welcome, they pose a challenge for finding a warm place to proof my dough.  There is no warm spot in this house.  The water heater is in the uninsulated garage, so that's no help.  When I get desperate, I fire up the huge gas oven for a minute or so, but that's just a short-term solution.

I could turn on the heater/furnace to take the edge off, but did I mention that my 100-pound German Shepherd is afraid of it?  It seems to make some kind of thumpy noise that terrifies her.  Each day is a dilemma:  do I turn on the heat, which forces the dog to go outside, or do I bundle up with multiple coats, scarves, and gloves so the dog can remain inside?  Now, personally, I don't care if the dog is outside, but she plays this really annoying 'game' of scratching at the door, as if she wants to come back inside.  But, no.  As I reach for the handle, she runs away.  This happens multiple times until I give in and turn off the furnace.  And bundle up. 

So, for the January bread, Fouace Nantaise, finding a warm spot for proofing and rising the dough required some effort.  As I recall, I ended up turning on the gas stove for a brief moment so the dough could have a fighting chance.  It worked, by the way.

If you, dear reader, decide to make this bread (and I hope you do, because it is delicious), you will discover that it has one unique ingredient -- orange flower water.  I actually had some in my pantry from years (I say, years) ago.  While I don't think it spoils, in the interest of safety and currency, I decided to replace it.  What was there to lose?  If I couldn't find any, I knew I had antique orange flower water at hand.  But, I was in luck.  The local BevMo had a small bottle in stock.  I now have two bottles.  I clearly need to search for other recipes that use that fragrant ingredient.

Back to the bread.  Our Kitchen of the Month is Elizabeth, and she chose Fouace Nantaise, based on a recipe by Jamie Schler.   It's a lovely, orange-scented bread with a touch of orange-flavored liqueur, easy to make, and quick to disappear.  My only complaint would be that there wasn't enough of it.  (But I do have the orange flower water, so nothing is stopping me from baking it again.)  If I remember correctly (I made the bread in late December), I prepared the dough, saw that it was a really slow riser, got impatient, and tossed it in the refrigerator overnight.   The next day, I put the dough in the warm oven, and when it had doubled, formed the seven balls.  I wondered whether it required a pan with sides to retain the shape, but continued on anyway.  It baked up fine and was a really tasty bread, especially toasted and slathered with butter.  Salted butter.  That's all I have on hand.

I should admit that my primary deviation from the recipe, and most bread recipes for that matter, is that I mix all the dry ingredients together, including the yeast, then add the wet ingredients and mix.  I find all the separate steps of melting, cooling, testing, etc. a bit on the futzy side.  (Sort of like the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones rolls his eyes, pulls out the revolver, and shoots.  End result is the same.)

So, after this lengthy discourse, my recommendation is to make the bread.  Check Elizabeth's blog for the recipe and her story, which is always entertaining.  Send her your results by the 29th to be included in the Buddy roundup.




By the way, would anyone like a sweet-natured German Shepherd who's afraid of noises that go bump?

Bread Baking Day #85: Bread or buns with dried fruit

It seems forever that I baked for Bread Baking Day.  I missed #84 because I was still in transition from moving and hadn't yet found my baking equipment or my spices and key ingredients.

Luckily, Simone, of Aus der Lameng, gave everyone two months to complete the challenge, which was baking a bread containing dried fruit.  In that time, I was able to find everything I needed and managed to bake two (!) types of bread.

The first bread was a loaf filled with currants and dried cranberries. 

It turned out beautifully and made excellent toast.  It was also very simple because I used my bread machine to mix and knead the dough.  It is definitely a bread that will become a staple.  You can find the recipe here:   Golden Egg Bread with Dried Fruit



The second recipe makes a dozen braided rolls, also filled with currants and dried cranberries. 

These require a bit more work, to roll out the dough and make braids, but they are also delicious and very spectacular-looking.  One advantage is that the dough can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.  Once again, I will direct you to the recipe link:  Milk and Honey Braided Buns with Dried Fruit and Pearl Sugar.

This was a very enjoyable challenge.  I always look forward to each one, thanks to Zorra (the original Bread Baking Day hostess) and the Hostess of the Month.   In the next few days, stop by Simone's blog to see all the wonderful breads with dried fruit that she will share.

Now, it's back to unpacking.

Babes see Red

Best laid plans, as they say.

Last week, mid-work project, my laptop died.  I immediately rushed it over to my computer repair lady, who, after 24 hours, declared it unusable.  The next morning I went to a local store, purchased a new laptop, delivered it to my repair lady, then waited (impatiently) until all files could be transferred and I could resume work and life.

Meanwhile, with enforced free time, I thought of all the things I could do, like bake bread and sew. 

But, no. 

Everything I needed was -- wait for it -- on the computer. 

Such is life nowadays that every important file or access point is on the computer, and when it dies, life is interrupted.

For this month's bread, I knew I needed beets, which I actually had, so I went ahead and put them in the oven to roast and soften.  While doing that, a friend and I disappeared into the garage to move boxes and search for those still-elusive items.  Two-plus hours later, I remembered the beets, definitely roasted and soft.  After cooling, they went into the fridge.

I made a distress call to the group, and, thankfully, I once again had access (via my phone) to the recipe.  Tuesday was the big day, both for bread baking and computer access (yay).

Did I pay attention to the vitals of the beets?  No.  I peeled them, dropped them into the blender, added the milk, and pureed away.  (I should mention that my blender is vintage 1971, so it's beginning to be cranky on some of its settings.)

Using the alternate recipe, I made the dough and set it out to rise.  (Another mention here:  the dog is afraid of the furnace, so the inside house temperature is around 65 degrees.  Not conducive to proofing bread in this lifetime.)  While the bread was trying to rise, I ran over to the computer repair lady's house to pick up the computer (huzzah!).  It only took another 24 hours to find all the appropriate software, load it, and return to some semblance of normalcy. Sadly, all my browser bookmarks disappeared, so the task of remembering and recreating them will fill my weeks to come.

By now, the bread dough was risen.  I shaped three braided loaves, and when they were ready, popped them into the oven.  It is a finely-tuned dance -- waiting for the oven to come to temperature (20 min.) without over-proofing the dough.

The end result was near-perfect.  A lovely pinkish-red bread and a non-beet flavor.  One loaf went home with my friend, and one will go to work with me today.  Always good to share.

This bread is definitely Buddy-worthy, so check for details on Cathy's website, Bread Experience. 

Pain Bouillie: Babes Bake Rye Porridge Bread for November

Seems like it's been forever since I wrote a post or baked bread. Since the beginning of August I have sold my mother's house, moved her furniture, helped her with several ER visits and multiple doctor visits, bought my own house, moved my belongings, and continued to work two jobs.  After over six weeks, I still haven't found my dishes.  The movers successfully buried them in the midst of a mountain of heavy boxes, whose contents I don't need at the moment.  It took about four weeks to locate baking gear, six to find some glassware, and six to find my comforter, just in time for cool weather.

I did bake the coconut rolls featured in September, using the ancient oven in my rental place.  I probably won't post them, but I will share a photo.  They were very tasty and worth baking.

I missed October:  bagels.  But, I will fit them in before the end of the year.

In my new home, I inherited a large Wolf gas range.  Very pleased about that.  Although I'm not a fan of gas ovens, this one is performing beyond expectations.  For baking purposes, I will have to keep an eye on the temperature, since I believe it's running a little hot.  So, while I successfully baked the Pain Bouillie, and it looks nearly perfect, after 65 minutes in the oven, it still wasn't baked through inside.  Boo hiss.  I even covered the top with foil to keep it from turning too black.  

I would bake it again, but I need to replenish my supply of cracked rye.  With all the microbreweries in the area, it shouldn't be too difficult.

 
Back to the bread.  It is Kelly's first selection as a Babe.  It really is a bread worth baking -- just watch that oven temperature and baking time.  (Also, use an instant-read thermometer to check the bread. This one time I didn't.  I thought the 'thump' sounded ok, but I was sure wrong.)

So, if you want to be a Buddy this month, head over to Kelly's website to get the recipe, read her helpful tips, and see how delicious this bread looks.  Send your story and photos to her by November 30 to be included in the roundup.

 

Babes Head to New Orleans for Beignets

Well, this has been such a crazy summer:  doctors, hospitals, mortgage companies, moving companies, storage companies.  Whew!  And, it's not finished yet.  But, that's another story. 

  

In the next town over from mine, there's a little restaurant on Main Street.  My friends and I have dined there several times.  The restaurant is Rabalais', a Southern Cajun Bistro, and they specialize in New Orleans cuisine.  What do you think is also on the menu?  Why beignets, of course.  Smothered in powdered sugar.  We always finish our meal with a plate of beignets to share.

So, it was great fun this month to have Elle (Feeding My Enthusiasms) challenge the Babes to bake their very own beignets.  Using a recipe from Martha Stewart, we had the choice of making plain beignets and/or ones stuffed with something delicious.  Given the state of my month, I decided to forego stuffing, but it's certainly something to do in the future.

What I did do was divide the dough in half and cook each half on successive days, and what I discovered was the dough that spent the night in the fridge had better puffiness in the fryer. 

So, here's my hardware, filled with peanut oil:

(This is a vintage Corning Ware electric skillet, that I swiped from my mother.  It's historic because I used it when I was in high school to make doughnuts once when my mother was away for the day.  I was a sneaky kid.  I knew she would never give me permission for fear of burning down the house.  But I showed her.  When she returned, there was a plate of doughnuts, a spotless kitchen, and her angelic kid.)

 
And here are the beignets:

No need to fear deep frying.  Patience is the key.  

And chopsticks.  I always use my 'cooking' chopsticks for frying.  They are longer than usual and the perfect utensil in combination with a slotted spoon.

During these hot summer days, deep frying is a great alternative to firing up the oven.

So, head over to Elle's kitchen to find the recipe and see how creative the other Babes were.  Share your best beignets with her by August 29 to be included in the roundup.

Now I need to brush the 'evidence' off my shirt.
 

Buddies Bake Bialys

Well, everyone must be taking a break for the summer, or else they don't want to fire up a hot oven.   

As the Kitchen of the Month for July, I challenged the Babes and Buddies to try their hand at bialys, a cousin of the bagel.

I had one taker:  Shirley, from Flourish.en Test Kitchen.  She was the only brave soul.  And, her bialys exploded just like mine!  Success!

Please stop by and read Shirley's account of her experience and see her gorgeous photos.

When the weather cools down, I hope you, dear reader, will also give bialys a try.