TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Kougelhopf AlsacienAlsatian Kougelhopf
A brioche-dough cake scented with raisins and kirsch, baked in the spiral ceramic mold of Alsace. Almonds are placed in the grooves at the bottom before the dough is added, creating a fragrant toasted almond layer after baking. Dusted with icing sugar and served for Sunday breakfast or to welcome guests, it is deeply rooted in Alsatian life.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- RaisinsSoak in kirsch for 30 minutes to plump them.80 g
- Kirsch (cherry brandy)For soaking the raisins30 ml
- Bread flourFor the brioche dough250 g
- Fresh yeastActivate in milk before using.10 g
- Whole milkFor activating the yeast and making the dough. Warm to about 35°C.70 ml
- Eggs2
- Granulated sugar for the dough30 g
- Granulated sugar for activating the yeast5 g
- Salt4 g
- Unsalted butter for the doughSoften to a pomade consistency.100 g
- Whole unblanched almondsPlace 1 almond in each groove at the bottom of the mold.12
- Unsalted butter for the moldFor greasing the mold15 g
- Icing sugar for finishingSift through a tea strainer once the cake is completely cool.15 g
Method
Soak the raisins in kirsch
- 1 Soak 80 g raisins in 30 ml kirsch.
Let the raisins absorb the kirsch
- 1 Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes so the raisins absorb the kirsch.
Dissolve the yeast in milk
- 1 MeanwhileWhile the raisins soak, warm 70 ml milk to about 35°C and pour into a bowl.
- 2 Crumble in 10 g fresh yeast and dissolve it, then add and dissolve 5 g granulated sugar for activating the yeast.
Activate the yeast
- 1 Leave at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- 2 Small bubbles forming on the surface indicate that the yeast is active.
Knead the kougelhopf dough
- 1 Mix 250 g bread flour and 4 g salt in a bowl.
- 2 Make a well in the center and add 2 eggs, 30 g granulated sugar for the dough and the fermented milk mixture; mix until the dough comes together.
- 3 Turn out onto a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.
Knead in the butter and raisins
- 1 Add 100 g softened butter to the dough in 3–4 additions, kneading thoroughly after each.
- 2 When the dough is glossy and no longer sticks to your hands, lightly pat the raisins dry and mix them evenly into the dough.
Caution
Bring the butter to room temperature and soften before adding. Cold butter will not incorporate evenly.
Give the dough its first rise
- 1 Shape the dough into a ball, return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place, ideally 27–30°C.
Ready when
The first rise is complete when the dough has expanded to 2 times its original size in 1.5 hours.
Put the dough in the mold
- 1 Brush the inside of the kougelhopf mold evenly with 15 g butter for the mold, then arrange 12 almonds in the bottom grooves, 1 in each.
- 2 Gently deflate the risen dough, shape it into a ring with a hole in the center and carefully place it in the mold.
Give the dough its second rise
- 1 Cover the mold with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 50 minutes for the second rise, until the dough reaches almost to the rim.
Preheat the oven
- 1 MeanwhileWhile waiting for the second rise, begin preheating the oven to 180°C.
Bake the kougelhopf
- 1 Bake in the oven at 180°C for 45 minutes.
- 2 It is done when the surface is deep golden brown and a bamboo skewer inserted into it comes out without dough sticking to it.
- 3 Cover with aluminum foil if it colors too quickly.
Caution
If the color becomes too dark after about 15 minutes, cover with aluminum foil partway through baking to keep the surface from burning.
Unmold and cool
- 1 Leave in the mold for 10 minutes to cool slightly, then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar
- 1 Once completely cool, sift 15 g icing sugar over the entire cake through a tea strainer.
About this dish
Alsace, bordering Germany, has a traditional cake called kougelhopf, baked in a spiral ceramic mold. At the tables of this region, it has long been enjoyed as a rustic sweet somewhere between bread and cake.
There are several accounts of its origins, but a widely known theory holds that a leavened sweet brought from Eastern Europe took root in Alsace. The method of placing almonds in the bottom of the mold before adding the dough, and the use of kirsch-scented raisins, became established as a distinctly Alsatian form.
It is traditionally served dusted with icing sugar for Sunday breakfast or when welcoming guests. The spiral ceramic mold is also known as an Alsatian souvenir, and the cake is so deeply embedded in local life that every household is said to own its own mold.
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