Kugelhopf Recipe
I’ll be starting with Gaston Lenôtres famous Kugelhopf recipe, though I’m not ruling out that I’ll change it a bit, since one or two very interesting ideas came in from reader Regine last week and I intend to explore them. For now here’s the starting point.
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) rum
3.5 ounces (1/2 cup) sugar
3.25 ounces (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) water
4.5 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) raisins
3.5 ounces (1 cup) slivered almonds
14-16 ounces brioche dough, chilled and ready
egg wash
powdered sugar for dusting
melted butter for the top of the cake
orange flower water, or a few drops of the extract of your choice
Combine the water, sugar and rum in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then take it off the heat. Pour in the raisins and soak them for about an hour.
Butter a kugelhopf mold and and sprinkle slivered almonds all over it. Roll the dough into a long rectangle. Drain the raisins and sprinkle them over the top. Roll up the dough, bring the ends in to form a circle and paint them with a little egg wash to stick them together. Place the dough in the mold and let it rise for about 2 hours or until it fills about 75% of the mold.
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the kugelhopf for 30 minutes (checking after 20 to make sure it’s not getting too browned…if so place an aluminum foil circle on the top). Check for doneness with a long, sharp knife. Turn out the kugelhopf while it’s still warm, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it all over with the powdered sugar.
Hey Joe,
Can you give us some advice about the kind of Kugel tin/mold you use. Like what size?
Thanks mate
Rick
Hey Rick!
Good question (since I didn’t specify). I use a standard 8.5″ (22 cm) pan, I think it’s 9 cups or so.
– Joe
Hi Joe. Nice to seeing my name mentioned. O)
You’re the one who inspired the project!
– Joe
Combine the water, sugar and syrup in a small saucepan
I see water, sugar, Rum, etc.
Syrup? not in the list 🙂
Hope you are recovering Joe, and staying warm.
That was the fever talkin’. I meant rum.
Back to bed.
– Joe
I am confused. Maybe I’m not reading the recipe correctly — haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet today. But…
The recipe reads “Combine the water, sugar and syrup in a small saucepan”, but there is no measure for the syrup.
Do you just discard the syrup after draining the raisins?
What do you do with the rum?
Hey Ted!
It was my mistake. I meant “rum”. The flu is exacerbating my inclination toward typographical errors.
– Joe
The addition of some orange blossom water to the melted butter brushed on at the end really sends a kugelhopf over the edge into heaven!
Whoa.
Deal!
– Joe