Bread Machine (175 page)

M
y grandfather was born in Strasbourg, Alsace, when it was still part of Germany.
Kugelhopf
is the bread most associated with the area, similar to brioche because the same technique is used to make it, but a bit coarser and drier in texture. It is said to have been invented in Vienna, where it is a coffeehouse favorite known as
gugelhugf.
Marie Antoinette favored it, making it fashionable in eighteenth-century Paris. The famed Carême, her
pâtissier royal,
learned his recipe from the chef to the Austrian ambassador.
Kugelhopf
is baked outside of the machine in a fluted tube pan; this one is baked in a pan with a nine-cup capacity, which is smaller than the traditional swirled Turk’s Head tube pan. Soak the raisins and currants in the wine of Alsace, Gewürztraminer, the wine that smells sweet yet tastes dry.
Kugelhopf
is never served the day it is baked, but sits overnight to age to the right texture. Serve it with sweet butter.

1
¹/
₂- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

¹/
₂cup currants

2 tablespoons golden raisins

¹/
₄cup Gewürztraminer wine

²/
₃cup whole milk

¹/
₄cup water

2 large eggs

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¹/
₄cup sugar or
vanilla sugar

Grated zest of 1 small lemon

1 teaspoon salt

¹/
₂cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
¹/
₂teaspoons bread machine yeast

¹/
₃cup sliced almonds

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Place the currants and raisins in a small bowl and cover with the wine. Macerate for at least an hour at room temperature. Drain the fruit, reserving any liquid.

Place the ingredients, except the currants, raisins, and almonds, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. (I set the machine for the 1-pound loaf since it has the shortest Knead phase.) Five minutes into the kneading segment, press Pause and add the currants and raisins and the almonds. Press Start to resume the cycle.

Generously grease a 9-cup fluted tube pan or two 4
¹/
₂-cup kugelhopf molds. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Set a kitchen timer for 1 hour and let the dough rest in the machine. When the timer rings, remove the dough and scrape into the tube pan with a rubber spatula, filling it no more than two-thirds full. Cover with plastic wrap and place a tea towel on top. Let rise at room temperature until the dough is almost to the top of the mold, about 1 hour.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350ºF (lower the temperature by 25º if using a pan with a dark finish).

Remove the towel and wrap from the mold and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes (the small pans bake for 28 to 32 minutes), until browned and the sides have pulled away from the pan. A cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Invert onto a rack. While still warm, drizzle the reserved soaking liquid into the center of the cake. Let cool completely. Wrap in foil to store at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

APPLE CHALLAH

Makes 1 braided loaf

C
hallah is a traditional Jewish egg bread that has no peer as far as I am concerned, because of its delicate cakelike texture. This nondairy version makes a traditional stuffed braided apple and honey bread suitable for Rosh Hashanah. Some bakers like to use two or three different types of apples in their fillings, rather than just one, for different flavors and textures. This loaf is baked in the oven.