© Copyright 2009. French Moments

Kugelhopf from Alsace

Method:

1. 
   

2. -Warm the milk and melt the butter with it.
   

3. 
   

4. -Mix the flour, sugar, salt and add the dried yeast.
   

5. 
   

6. -Make a well and then add the milk and butter and the eggs.
   

7. 
   

8. -Mix until the mixture comes away from the side of the bowl.
   

9. 
   

10. -Leave to rise for several hours with a clean dry tea towel over the top.
    

11. 
    

12. -Once the dough has rise, beat the dough again to incorporate more air. Drain the sultanas and roll them in a little flour, then carefully mix them through the dough.
    

13. 
    

14. -Butter the moulds and put an almond in each hole.
    

15. 
    

16. -Put the mixture into each mould (do not overfill as some room is needed when it rises a final time).
    

17. 
    

18. -Leave to rise again for several more hours with the tea towel on the top.
    

19. 
    

20. -Once the dough has risen, cook in an oven at 180 (150 if fan assisted) for about 50-60 minutes. You do not need to pre-heat the oven - it should be cool when you put them in.
    

21. 
    

22. -When you take them out leave them to cool a little (20-30 mins) and then carefully tip the mould up and release the Kugelhopf.
    

23. 
    

24. -Decorate with icing sugar.

Kugelhopf, Kougelhof, Kouglof... there are many names to describe what is certainly Alsace’s most famous cake which depend on local germanic dialect. A Kugelhopf is also prepared in neighbouring regions of Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This recipe gives a “soft” variant of the cake: spongy and moist it melts in your mouth when fresh. The Alsatian tradition is to eat a much “dryer” Kugelhopf, which some locals dip in their morning coffee.

Ingredients:

1. 
   

2. -500g plain flour
   

3. -120g caster sugar
   

4. -120g unsalted butter – soft (room temperature)
   

5. -2 eggs lightly beaten
   

6. -250ml milk
   

7. -A little vanilla sugar (1 sachet) or a couple of drops of vanilla extract (optional)
   

8. -salt
   

9. -1 sachet of yeast
   

10. -almonds (unsalted) - about 30
    

11. -sultanas soaked in rum

About the mould:

The dough that you will get from the recipe will make two average-sized Kugelhopfs.It is best to use ceramic moulds, such as those found in Alsace, however, you could use a similar mould in silicone or aluminimum if you can’t get a ceramic one.

Kugelhopf recipe... Kouglof recipe... Kougelhof recipe...

Kougelhof d’Alsace