Tuesday, November 11, 2008

TWD: Kugelhopf

Now, there were some people last week who were a tad unfamiliar with rugelach. This week was my turn to scratch my head. Here is an excellent NY Times article that gives some good information. I figured out that it is a sweet yeasted bread, similar to a brioche, but a little different. It even has its own pan. Which I did not buy. I had a lovely nine-cup Bundt Festival

This is a finished kugelhopf.



Anyway..... This was a good recipe, but I don't feel the need to really make this again. Now, had I actually really followed the recipe, I might have liked it better. To start, READ THE RECIPE! The ingredients weren't very fussy. I didn't have whole milk and used the skim that I had. I have a five-quart KitchenAid mixer. There wasn't quite enough dough to really follow the directions. My dough hook (
the new one!) wasn't quite reaching the ingredients in the bowl. I used the flat beater instead. The mixing times were, to put it nicely, slightly long. I'm pretty sure that my mixer was running for a good 20-25 minutes. There was an interesting instruction: beat the dough until it climbs up the hook. You know my new dough hook? DOUGH DOES NOT CLIMB IT! But after all the mixing, it looked pretty good. I added my dried mixed fruit (blueberries, cranberries, golden raisins, and cherries) and set it aside to rise. It did actually double in about 90 minutes. Then for the next two hours you have to slap it around until is stops rising. I did this Friday night, and put it in the fridge to be ready to bake on Saturday.

Well, Saturday came along, and I just threw my bowl from the fridge into the oven (unlit. that's where I put dough to rise) to do its two hour rise. This is where reading the recipe would have been a good thing. See, I was supposed to put the dough in the pan and then let it rise. Because when you let it rise in a bowl and then transfer it to a pan, it deflates. I figured at that point that I didn't have much to lose. So I stuck it in the fridge and left it for Sunday.

Sunday morning, I put the dough, now in the pan, back in the oven to rise. Three hours later it had risen some. I set the oven, took over the wax paper, and hoped for the best. I followed the baking instructions, and what I got was a pretty nice looking bread. I did the butter/sugar topping, and we let it cool as long as we could. I forgot the powdered sugar, but I don't think it mattered. The boy, the girl, and the husband all gave it a big thumbs up. I enjoyed it as well. It certainly didn't last long. It was a cross between a croissant and a brioche. Kind of flaky and buttery with a delicate crumb. The four of us finished it in a day. While I did enjoy it, I thought it was quite fussy for what it was. Yes, I made a mistake. Even so, for all the rising time and slapping and mixing, it wasn't worth the work. I'm glad to have made it, though. Now I know!

The finished product. Golden brown and delicious.


The boy's slice.



A cross section of the finished kugelhopf.



The girl's slice.



(If I posted one child's slice and not the other's, it would get ugly around here)

I'm glad that Yolanda of
The All-Purpose Girl chose this, because I never would have picked it out on my own. You can get the recipe at her site if you'd like to try this one for yourself. Next week is not one I'm looking forward to. It's Arborio Rice Pudding. Rice pudding is not a food I ever want to eat. We'll see if Isa of Les Gourmandises d'Isa can get me to try it.
 

26 comments:

Jin Hooi said...

My dough deflated too !! but urs look great !! well done

Danielle said...

Yours turned out so pretty!!

Cristine said...

Yours looks gorgeous!

Flourchild said...

Im with you I won't make it again. Im glad I made it but way to much trouble for me! I love your pictures and your kugelhopf looks great!

Sabrina said...

Yours looks to beautiful! Very nice job!!!

Peggy said...

sounds like your dough hook and my dough hook are related! Your kugelhopf looks fantastic!

Isabelle Lambert said...

il est super beau :)

chocolatechic said...

I won't be making this again.

It tasted wonderful, but the time...oh the time!

Jayne said...

I love that you had to post both kids' slices. I so get that. Yours looked lovely - I really like the mix of dried fruits you used, too! Great job!

spike. said...

I couldn't make my dough right with the hook either, but all turned out alright!

ostwestwind said...

Your pictures are beautiful

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

April said...

It looks so nice and golden. I thought it was similar tasting to a crossiant too. Great job!

Lauren said...

It turned out terrific. Wish I had known about the NYTimes article. Interesting.

Mary said...

I love that you had a boy slice and a girl slice...I have two kids and I know how that is!

Cathy said...

Of COURSE you need to post pictures of both kids' slices! Now let me get out a ruler and make sure they are exactly the same size. LOL -- kids! Yours looks fabulous, especially considering what it went though! Good to know that kugelhopf is so resilient! I'm right there with you in not making this again, although we did enjoy it.

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

I love that we are going through this book as I am definitely trying things I wouldn't otherwise. Glad yours turned out so nicely even after deflating!! :)

Marthe said...

Looks amazing!! My dough didn't climb up the hook either!

Anonymous said...

It took a loooooooooooong time for the dough to finally climb the hook.

Yours looks gorgeous and perfect even without the climbing. YUM!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I am so chuckling over the posting of both the slices...you are a GREAT mother! Your Kugelhopf looks amazing...very beautiful. Surely you will make this again...it looks just gorgeous! The pan you used is very nice...very pretty results. Looks like Christmas morning breakfast to me!

Tammy said...

looks great. I am a bit like you - pleased I made it but I dont think I would make it again!

Pamela said...

It does look fabulous and all of the fruit you put in sounds wonderful. Thanks for the tip on the shortbread. Next time, they'll be in the freezer first.

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

A beautiful Kugehopf result. No denying it's a long process.

Megan said...

Ha ha ha. I barely read the directions either, but at least you liked it. I thought it was bland - and I probably won't make it again.

Anonymous said...

Yes I'm glad it was picked too! I wouldn't never done it...if it wasn't for TWD ;-)

It looks lovely! And I laughed about the girl's AND boy's slices needing their own 1 minute of fame ;-)

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

A beautifully baked kugelhopf. It looks as light as air. I'm pleased the family all enjoyed it so much.

Steph said...

I like your dried fruit mix. And your last comment had me laughing like crazy, because it just like that with my brother. Everything has to be equal.. haha. I'm definitely not making this ever again, but it was a great experience!