Hefezopf and Hefekranz

 

Ingredients:

serves: 12

1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup water
1 pound bread flour
4 ounces sugar
2 ounces butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional)
1/4 cup warm milk
1 cup raisins and /or other fruit

1 /2 cup Sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup coarse sugar (Hagelzucker)

for egg wash, take 1 egg and beat with 1 tablespoon water.

1. Dissolve yeast in water and sugar. Stir well and allow to rise in a warm place.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast mix, sugar, butter, eggs and raisins.

3. Mix dough adding milk gradually until dough is elastic and does not stick to sides of bowl.
Shape into a ball.

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight or let it raise till double in volume..

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

5. Divide dough into 3 parts.Roll each piece into 16 inch log or 8 inch log if your going to make 2 smaller loaves.

6. Lay the logs next to each other Braid the logs. Tuck in the ends under the loaf.

7.Place loaves on baking sheet with plenty of room to rise.
Let Rise at room temperature for two hours.

8. Beat one egg with 1 tablespoons water and brush the loaves with this. top with sliced almonds or Hagelzucker.

9. Bake about 30 minutes till nicely browned. take out and lift up the loaf and tap the bottom crust. If it has a nice hollow sound it is done.

 

Hagelzucker

Hagelzucher literaly means ...Hail sugar.

Legend has it that it is called "Hagelzucker" because during a thunderstorm with small hail,sugar that was left near a window got wet . and clumped together in a sheet.
The lady of the house used a fork trying to loosen it up again and ended up with small lumps...looking almost like the small hail that was the cause of the problem..ergo HAILSUGAR / HAGELZUCKER was born

Step 1, Make Hagelzucker

2 cups of sugar in a baking -tray with walls...spray with previously boiled water to avoid bacterial growth

when crust builds,use fork to scrape ,repeat several times until you have consistecy that is suitable for your usage...let air dry over night before you put in a container.