Alsace Kugelhopf Recipes

KOUGLOF

Steps:

• Place raisins in small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with water. Microwave on high 1 minute. Let stand until cool.
• Stir milk and yeast in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 8 minutes. Attach dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; beat on low speed until blended, scraping sides of bowl often. Whisk eggs and yolk in small bowl to blend. Gradually add eggs to dough, beating on low speed until just blended. Add 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium, and beat until dough is smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 1 cube at a time, beating to incorporate each (dough will be very soft). Scrape dough off sides of bowl and dough hook. Beat dough until well-blended and pulling away from sides of bowl, about 8 minutes.
• Remove bowl from mixer. Drain raisins. Stir raisins into dough. Scrape dough into medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Using rubber spatula, turn dough over several times in bowl to deflate. Cover again and chill 2 hours, turning to deflate if dough rises. Cover tightly and keep refrigerated overnight.
• Generously butter 8- to 9-cup kouglof mold. Roll chilled dough between palms and work surface to 12- to 15-inch rope and place around center post in prepared mold. Cover mold with plastic wrap and let dough rise until almost level with top edge, about 3 hours.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake kouglof uncovered until golden brown on top and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool.
• Sift powdered sugar over kouglof. Cut into wedges and serve.

KUGELHOPF

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in the warm water and let it proof.
• Sift the flour, putting 2 cups in each of two bowls.
• Set one bowl aside.
• Work together 2 cups of flour and the soft butter (this may be done in the electric mixer).
• Mix in the salt and the eggs, one at a time, beating until very thoroughly incorporated.
• In alternate batches, add the remaining 2 cups flour and the yeast mixture.
• Mix in the electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended and elastic, then stir in the raisins.
• Put in a large, lightly floured bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch the dough down.
• Heavily butter a standard 10-inch Kugelhoph mold or a 10-inch tube pan and sprinkle half the sliced almonds around the bottom of the mold (the butter will make them adhere).
• Pour or spoon half the dough into the mold, sprinkle in the rest of the almonds, and add the remaining dough.
• Let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 475 degrees F.
• for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until nicely browned, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack.

KUGELHOPF

Steps:

• Stir together yeast and water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Heat milk with 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar over low heat, stirring, until mixture is warm (105 to 115°F), butter is melted, and sugar is dissolved.
• Sift together flour and salt into bowl of standing mixer. Make a well in flour and add yeast mixture. Add warm milk in a slow stream, mixing at low speed with paddle attachment. Increase speed to medium and beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat in raisins and zest. Continue to beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)
• Butter kugelhopf mold with remaining tablespoon butter. Put 1 almond in each depression in bottom of mold (the almonds are only decorative; you can skip them altogether if your mold has no depressions), then scrape spoonfuls of dough evenly into mold (dough will be very elastic). Cover top of mold with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm place until it fills pan, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Remove towel from kugelhopf and gently peel off plastic wrap. Bake kugelhopf in middle of oven 15 minutes, then loosely cover mold with foil and continue to bake until golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool in pan 2 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Dust with confectioners sugar.