Black Forest Bread Schwarzwaelder Kruste Recipes

BLACK FOREST BREAD - SCHWARZWAELDER KRUSTE

Steps:

• Mix the ingredients for the sourdough starter together by hand until it forms a ball.
• Cover the starter and leave at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. The starter can be fed on rye or white flour. The starter should have been recently fed, so if it has been in the refrigerator for a month, feed it once before starting this recipe.
• Mix the ingredients for the sponge together by hand. If you are using fresh yeast or non-instant yeast, dissolve the yeast in a little of the water before you add it.
• When the dough comes together to form a ball, let it sit for 2 hours at room temperature.
• Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10 to 16 hours. You can also refrigerate both parts for up to 48 more hours if necessary.
• Mix the all of the sourdough and sponge with the rest of the dough ingredients in the mixer on low with a dough hook for about eight minutes.
• Turn the speed up a notch and continue mixing for 4 minutes.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times.
• Add flour if the dough is too soft. It should be supple, but not so soft that it loses shape immediately on the board when you let it go.
• Let it rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Punch it down and then let it rise for 15 minutes. This assumes a dough temperature of about 74 F. If your dough is colder, let it rise a bit longer. The dough will NOT double in bulk.
• Form two round loaves with the dough, pulling the dough around to form a "boule" and stretching the gluten "skin" around towards the bottom. Do not completely pinch the underside closed, as that will be the attractive top in the oven.
• Place the round of dough with the seam-side down in a rye-floured bread basket or flour-lined bowl.
• Let the bread rise for 60 minutes. You should see an appreciable rise, even if not doubled in bulk.
• Heat the oven with the bread stone for at least 30, better 60 minutes, to 475 F. The stone should be on the middle rack with a rack underneath it to hold the hot water pan.
• Unmold the bread (seam-side up) onto a cornmeal-strewn baker's peel or the back of a cookie sheet and transfer to the hot stone.
• After 2 minutes, open the oven door and add a cup of hot water to the hot water pan.
• Add steam by spraying the walls with water, if you can.
• After 10 minutes, turn oven temperature down to 400 F.
• Bake for 40 more minutes.
• Open oven a crack for the last 20 minutes to let out the rest of the steam. Bread should have an internal temperature of at least 190 F.
• Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing or freezing.

BLACK FOREST GATEAU (SCHWARZWALDER KIRSCHTORTE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and set aside.
• Whisk the eggs yolks, eggs, and sugar in a large metal bowl over a pot of simmering water for a few minutes until the mixture is about 120 degrees F. Remove the bowl from the heat, and keep whisking to aerate the mixture until it is thick and fluffy, about 10 minutes. The mixture should increase in size 4 to 5 times and become very pale in color.
• Gently fold in both the sifted flour and wheat flour, and the cocoa powder. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan, and flatten it out carefully with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and cut a few vents in the parchment paper so that the steam can evaporate. Let inverted cake rest for 24 hours.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Kirsch, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and the corn flour. Add a pinch lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon to the bowl, and stir to combine. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil the remaining 4 tablespoons Kirsch. Reduce the heat to medium, add the sugar mixture, and stir. Then add the cherries, stir again, and heat through. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl, and let cool.
• Cut the cake into 3 layers. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the bottom layer, and place it in the refrigerator to cool and harden slightly. Meanwhile, make the Whipped Cream and the Syrup.
• Remove the chocolate-covered base layer from the refrigerator and brush syrup over the top. Add about 1/2 of the filling mixture, and 1/4 of the whipped cream. Repeat the layer, brushing with Syrup, then filling, and then Whipped Cream. Place the third cake layer on top, brush it with Syrup, and then cover it with Whipped Cream. Spread the remaining Whipped Cream around the side of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with chocolate shavings and additional cherries.
• Whip together the cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla sugar. If you don't have vanilla sugar, you may substitute 1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Begin whipping slowly, making the mixture lighter, and continue until you have achieved light and airy whipped cream.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When mixture is boiling and sugar has totally dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and add the Kirsch, and stir to combine.