Kugelhopf

Name: Kugelhopf
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Europe, French
Ingredients: 3/4 cup raisins or dried cherries; 1 tablespoon rum; 12 blanched almonds; 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; 1 cup warm heavy whipping cream, (110° to 115°); 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided; 2/3 cup butter, softened; 1/3 cup shortening or lard; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest; 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup sliced almonds; Confectioners' sugar, optional

Total Time Prep: 45 min. + rising Bake: 1 hour + cooling

Yield 12 servings

Test Kitchen Approved

Move over, stollen! Kugelhopf is the stunning bread centerpiece your Christmas festivity needs.

Ingredients

3/4 cup raisins or dried cherries
1 tablespoon rum
12 blanched almonds
2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm heavy whipping cream, (110° to 115°)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup shortening or lard
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

In a small bowl, combine raisins and rum; let stand. Meanwhile, grease Kugelhoph pan well, and place one blanched almond in each ridge on the pan bottom.
In another small bowl, dissolve yeast in cream with 1 tablespoon sugar, let sit until frothy, about 10-15 minutes.
In a large bowl cream remaining sugar, butter, and shortening. Add yeast mixture, eggs, zest, vanilla, salt and two cups of flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Continue to knead with a dough hook for 10 minutes. Mix in raisins and sliced almonds. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°.Punch down dough; with floured hands shape into a 12-in. rope. Place into prepared Kugelhopf pan, pushing down slightly to fill pan. Cover and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake until deep golden brown, or until it has reached an internal temperature of 200°, about an hour (Cover with foil if needed). Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, remove from pan. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 470 calories, 26g fat (13g saturated fat), 96mg cholesterol, 205mg sodium, 50g carbohydrate (16g sugars, 2g fiber), 8g protein.

My husband’s family originated in the Alsace region of France. We recently visited there and had this amazing bread. It’s buttery and dense, with a crunchy crustI don’t have a kugelhopf pan, so I used a regular bundt pan. It took about 50 minutes to bake

Recipe Creator

Community Cook