Austrian Kugelhopf Recipes

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.

AUSTRIAN GUGELHUPF (YEAST-RISEN COFFEE CAKE)

Steps:

• Thickly butter a 6-8 cup gugelhupf pan (or other decorative tube pan).
• Make the sponge: warm the milk over low heat in a small saucepan until it is just lukewarm, about 100°.
• Transfer milk to a small bowl; whisk in yeast.
• Stir in the flour and cover the bowl with plastic wrap; let the sponge rise until very puffy, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together the raisins and rum; let raisins soak in rum while you prepare the dough.
• Make the dough: use an electric stand mixer with paddle attachment-beat the butter with the sugar and salt on medium speed until soft and light, about 2-3 minutes.
• Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.
• Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition.
• Stop mixer and scrape the sponge into the bowl; beat on lowest speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Drain raisins well, reserving the rum; beat the rum into the dough, then beat in the flour.
• Beat the dough for 2 minutes on lowest speed, then stop the mixer and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Beat the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 2 additional minutes.
• Decrease speed to lowest and beat in the raisins and the chopped almonds.
• Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl and turn it over so that the top is buttered.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise until it just begins to puff, about 20 minutes.
• Prepare mold: scatter the sliced almonds all over the buttered inside of the mold, rotating the mold to cover the buttered surface evenly with almonds.
• Invert to mold to remove any of the almonds that have not stuck to the butter.
• Using a large rubber spatula , carefully scrape the dough into prepared mold-try to avoid disturbing the sliced almonds.
• Cover the mold with a towel or piece of buttered plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it is doubled (if using a 6-cup mold, the risen dough should reach the top of the mold; if you are using an 8-cup mold, the risen dough should reach about ½ inch short of the top).
• About 15 minutes before the gugelhupf is risen, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°.
• Bake the gugelhupf until it is well risen and deep golden, about 40-45 minutes; pick should come out clean.
• Cool gugelhupf in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto the rack, remove the mold and cool completely.
• Serve: use a sharp serrated knife to cut into slices; storage: keep wrapped in plastic.

GUGELHUPF

Steps:

• To prepare the dough: in a bowl, combine milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir and allow to proof.
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Using the paddle attachment, over low speed, slowly add the yeast mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and lastly, the butter, a piece at a time.
• Continue to beat at medium speed until the dough gets elastic and almost forming a ball around the paddle, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Generously butter a gugelhupf mold. Sprinkle with sugar. Reserve.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough into 1/4-inch thickness, about 12-inches wide and 16-inches long. Spread the butter throughout the surface. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the butter. Lastly, sprinkle the chopped nuts and macerated raisins. Roll the dough into a log and place inside the prepared mold.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until top is well browned. Leave it to cool in the mold for 10 minutes, then unmold it on a wire rack. Sprinkle generously with sifted powdered sugar before serving.

KUGELHOPF

Steps:

• Mix the raisins with the Cognac and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a small saucepan and set aside.
• Mix the yeast with 1/4 cup of the milk in a large bowl and set in a warm place for about 5 minutes, until it becomes frothy. Stir in the remaining milk and sugar. Add the salt and 2 cups of the flour.
• Beat the dough by hand or machine, adding all but 3/4 cup of the flour. Beat in all but 1 tablespoon of the butter, a tablespoon at a time. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that is soft but not sticky and is very elastic. Kneading should take 2 to 3 minutes by machine, or about 6 minutes by hand.
• Heat the raisin mixture and cook just until most of the Cognac has evaporated.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a flattened rectangle. Spread the raisins on it, fold the dough over and knead a couple of minutes by hand to incorporate the raisins.
• Heavily butter a two-quart kugelhopf pan or a 10-inch bundt pan with the remaining tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with the almonds, turning the pan so they adhere to its interior. Place the dough in the pan, breaking a hole in the center to accommodate the tube. Set aside, lightly covered, and let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch dough down in the pan. Let rise again, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow it to cool completely in the pan, then unmold. Dust with sifted confectioners' sugar before serving.

GUGELHUPF

Steps:

• Combine butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and beat well with an electric mixer until creamy. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 370 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a gugelhupf pan (or Bundt® pan) with butter and dust with flour.
• Beat 1 egg in a cup and add to the butter-sugar mixture; beat until well combined. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs. Add egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla sugar; beat well. Fold in raisins.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until foamy. Gradually add white sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into the batter. Fold in sifted flour in batches. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and turn out onto a cake platter. Allow to cool completely and dust with confectioners' sugar.

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.