November 11, 2008

TWD- Kugelhopf

Before this week's Tuesday with Dorie recipe, I had actually never heard of kugelhopf. Naturally, I went to Wikipedia first, and learned this:

A Gugelhupf or Kugelhupf is a southern German, Austrian, Swiss and Alsatian term for a type of cake. In the Czech Republic it is called bábovka, in Poland it is called babka, in Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, and it is called kuglof. It has the general shape of a torus, like a donut. As with the Jewish dish kugel, the name 'gugelhupf' is related to the Middle High German word Kugel meaning "ball" or "globe".
A common Gugelhupf consists of soft yeast dough and contains raisins, almonds and Kirschwasser cherry brandy. Some also contain candied fruits and nuts. It is baked in a special circular pan, originally made of enameled pottery, now also used for making Bundt cakes. It is usually eaten for breakfast or a coffee break.

Unfortunately, this breakfast treat takes hours to rise and then some time baking. It should also be consumed immediately after baking and I just wasn't going to wake up at 2:00 AM to work on it. So, we had this as an after dinner snack.

This came together quickly and reminded me a lot of making brioche (but with less butter!) The end result was a little dry and bland for me so I think I will stick with brioche next time I'm looking for a delicious, buttery bread. However, I think I'll try some kugelhopf ideas like dried fruit, powdered sugar, or even marmalade with the brioche. Yum. Maybe I'll even make my brioche in a fancy pan next time to get the looks and the flavor!

Check our Yolanda's blog for the recipe. And... while you're at it- make some brioche! It's ridiculously delicious. Brioche Raisin Snails were my first recipe after joining TWD and still my favorite. I'd even go so far to say that they are worth getting up at 2:00 to enjoy in time for breakfast!

Happy Veteran's Day everyone!

30 comments:

  1. Looks great. I agree- too high maintenance!

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  2. It took way to much time to bake, but we thought it tasted great.

    Yours looks lovely.

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  3. I thoroughly agree - a lot of work for something not quite "fabulous".

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  4. I agree. I think I'll stick to brioche. I loved the brioche but wasn't a fan of the kugelhopf. Oh well... can't like them all right? On to the rice pudding next week!
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  5. Tuesdays with Dorie would be dangerous for me! The kugelhopf looks amazing (even if you think brioche was better :))

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  6. Very cute bread. I'm glad I made it but I don't know when I'll make it again...

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  7. I agree on the time consuming part, I want my baked goods sooner rather than later. Your kugelhopf looks good though and I like the explanation of it too.

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  8. I really need to made the Brioche Raisin Snails again... They were one of my favorites, too. Your kugelhopf looks delicious.

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  9. I had to look it up and find out what this was too. It was fun to make it once, and I think as long as I can keep a no-worries or rush attitude I may make it again sometime, but who knows. Anyway, yours looks really good! (BTW did you see your pie announcement is up! Yay!)

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  10. Yes, I would not be up at 2am makinga breakfast bread. Yours looks fantastic none the less!

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  11. I agree the result wasn't outstanding, but nice.

    Thanks for stopping by
    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

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  12. Labor-intensive but good! I agree, you could do all kinds of flavor variations, especially for the holidays.

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  13. How did women ever get it together to get these kind of things on the table for breakfast?!

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  14. I have a theory that this can be made much more easily. I saw one demonstration that didn't even have the first rising, just put it straight to the pan to rise. Turned out great. I'm thinking to put it in the pan at night, leave it out, covered, and cook it in the morning. But I haven't done this yet.

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  15. Looks delicious even if it did turn out a little dry.

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  16. Now you've made me want to try making brioche! Your kugelhopf looks delicious, if time-consuming.
    Nancy

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  17. Yours looks very pretty and tasty...and I agree, breakfast the day you bake it is not happening here...it was good for a couple of mornings after, however. Still moist and nice...I put in under a cake dome. I can so see this on Christmas morning...make it the day before and just have it ready to slice...we liked it that much. Yours looks beautiful.

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  18. Looks good though I agree with you. I did like it toasted this morning!

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  19. It looks really pretty, such a golden crust.
    I have to try the snails, I started with the strawberry tarts, I think.

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  20. I love that everyone seemed to turn to Wikipedia for this one!

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  21. yes, I am a brioche girl as well, but yours still looks great!

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  22. Looks really pretty! You did a great job.

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  23. Yum -- yours looks great! I'm with you: it's definitely a "breakfast bread," but the time/labor involved makes it really difficult to get on to the breakfast table! I haven't made the brioche yet, but you've talked me into it, Anne!

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  24. Your kugelhopf looks great. Perfectly golden and delicious. YUM!

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  25. What a beautiful color on your Kugelhopf. I really liked this recipe, but I must admit I took a few liberties to boost the flavor and shorten the process.

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  26. Thanks for investigating the history on this cake/bread. I was excited to learn that it is actually a babka in poland. My great aunt makes some really good polish dishes and I can't wait to tell her about this one!

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  27. Beautiful photos of your Kugelhopf. A fussy lot though. Maybe back to pumpkin bread/muffins for breakfast. Better yet....Cinnamon Rolls. Yumm
    Happy Baking
    AmyRuth

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  28. I love how it looks with the sprinkles on that red plate!

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