Kugelhopf is a festive, crown-shaped yeasted bread traditionally baked in a heavy earthenware mold. One legend suggests it originated in an Alsatian village, when the Three Kings presented it to a local baker named Kugel, who had hosted them.
Other histories point to origins in Vienna, where bakers may have made the bread in the shape of a sultan’s turban to celebrate the defeat of the Turks by Hapsburg forces in 1683.
For our version, we set out to make a kirsch-scented, raisin- and dried cherry-studded, almond-crusted Kugelhopf typical of Alsace. Classic Alsatian recipes we tested yielded dense, somewhat dry breads that we needed to dunk in coffee or wine to fully enjoy. Several modern versions we tasted were sweeter, airier, moister, and even doughnut-like.
Our goal was to develop a Kugelhopf recipe that would please traditional and modern palates alike — not too sweet, yeasty and a tad boozy, light but not fluffy, chewy yet soft, rich but not heavy.
Many traditional recipes call for a sponge — a mixture of yeast, flour and liquid that ferments separately and is added to the dough — for flavor, but we found that allowing our dough to ferment slowly (up to 2 1/2 hours) during the initial rise, and folding the dough upon itself twice during that time to redistribute and stimulate the yeast, gave our bread plenty of heady flavor. Adding just the right amount of cherry brandy augmented this complexity.
We tested our way through hydration levels and amounts of sugar, butter and eggs until we landed on the perfect formula to yield a delicate yet satisfying texture and a moderate level of richness. We developed this recipe using our favorite 12-cup Bundt pan, however, we also like using a traditional 10-cup Kugelhopf pan. If using a Kugelhopf pan, the dough will rise 1/2 inch above the lip of the pan. We do not recommend mixing this dough by hand. Key equipment includes a stand mixer, 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan and a instant-read thermometer.
KUGELHOPF
Servings: 16 (1 loaf)
Start to finish: 9 1/4 to 10 1/4 hours
(Baking time: 25 minutes)
2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped coarse
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup (2 ounces) kirsch or other cherry-flavored brandy
3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (5 1/3 ounces) whole milk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons (2 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, softened
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Confectioners’ sugar
Nutrition information per serving: 251 calories; 73 calories from fat; 8 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 57 mg cholesterol; 212 mg sodium; 37 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 6 g protein.
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