by Unknown
Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (preheated), Gas mark 4 (preheated),
Baking time: about 45 minutes.
4. Leave the cake in the mould for about 10 minutes after taking out of the oven, then put on a rack to cool down.
5. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and stir in the lemon juice to make a smooth, thick icing, and coat the cake with it.
Tip: Instead of making the mulled wine yourself it can be bought ready-made; use 125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup).
If you like, stir a little red wine into some of the icing and sprinkle over the icing to make a pattern.
CHRISTMAS PASTRY
127 | Christmas fruit cake
Traditional–suitable for freezing (about 20 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes
Baking time: about 80 minutes
For a rectangular tin (30 x 11 cm):
some fat
baking parchment
For the pastry:
125 g/5 oz hazelnut kernels
100 g/31⁄2 oz candied lemon peel
125 g/5 oz dried figs
3 medium eggs
125 g/41⁄2 oz (5⁄8 cup) sugar
3 drops vanilla essence in
1 tablespoon sugar
2–3 drops rum essence
1 pinch ground cinnamon
250 g/9 oz raisins
60 g/2 oz chopped blanched almonds
125 g/41⁄2 oz (11⁄4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
50 g/2 oz (6 tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
1 level teaspoon baking powder
Per piece:
P: 4 g, F: 8 g, C: 29 g, kJ: 827, kcal: 197
1. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Grease the rectangular tin and line with baking parchment.
2. To make the dough, coarsely chop the hazelnuts. Cut the candied lemon peel and dried figs into small cubes. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer with whisk at the highest setting until foamy. Stir in the sugar and vanilla sugar little by little and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Stir in the rum essence and cinnamon. Then add the hazelnuts, candied lemon peel and figs together with the raisins and almonds and quickly incorporate them into the egg mixture.
4. Mix together the flour with the cornflour and baking powder, sift and stir into the egg and fruit mixture in stages with the mixer at the medium setting. Spoon the dough onto the prepared tin. Put on a shelf in the lower third of the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 4 (not preheated),
Baking time: about 80 minutes.
5. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes after taking out of the oven, turn out onto a rack, carefully remove the baking parchment and leave to cool.
Tip: Cover the cake with icing or chocolate topping, if desired.
The cake will keep for 3–4 weeks if well-wrapped and stored in cool conditions.
CHRISTMAS PASTRY
128 | Christmas almond splinters
Good for preparing in advance–needs no baking (about 50 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding cooling time
For the baking sheet:
baking parchment
For the almond mixture:
200 g/7 oz blanched flaked almonds
50 g/2 oz candied orange peel
300 g/10 oz plain chocolate or full milk chocolate
2 tablespoons zest of untreated orange
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 pinch each cinnamon, cloves, coriander (all ground)
Per piece:
P: 1 g, F: 4 g, C: 4 g, kJ: 235, kcal: 56
1. Roast the flaked almonds in a pan without fat until golden yellow and leave on a plate to cool down. Meanwhile, finely chop the candied orange peel. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt in a bain-marie over low heat, stirring continuously. Stir in the candied orange peel and ginger. Incorporate the almonds and candied orange peel and, using 2 teaspoons, make small heaps of this chocolate-almond mixture on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Put the almond splinters on the baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Tips: If desired, sprinkle finely chopped candied orange peel on the almond splinters before they have set.
Instead of a baking sheet, a tray or large chopping board may be used.
CHRISTMAS PASTRY
129 | Christstollen (Christmas stollen)
Classic–suitable for freezing (about 16 pieces)
Preparation time: about 35 minutes, excluding soaking and rising time
Baking time: about 50 minutes
For the yeast dough:
200 g/7 oz raisins
100 g/31⁄2 oz currants
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) rum
375 g/131⁄2 oz (33⁄4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 packet (42 g) fresh yeast
50 g/13⁄4 oz (4 tablespoons) sugar
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) warm milk
3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch each cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, coriander, cloves, mace (all ground)
2 medium eggs
175 g/6 oz (7⁄8 cup) soft butter or margarine
100 g/31⁄2 oz candied orange peel
100 g/31⁄2 oz candied lemon peel
100 g/31⁄2 oz blanched ground almonds
For coating and dusting:
75 g/21⁄2 oz (3⁄8 cup) butter
some icing (confectioner’s) sugar
Per piece:
P: 5 g, F: 18 g, C: 42 g, kJ: 1532, kcal: 366
1. Put the raisins and currants in the rum and leave to soak overnight.
2. The following day, sift the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Crumble the yeast into it, add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and pour the warm milk on top. Carefully stir in a little of the flour from the edge, using a fork, and let stand for about 15 minutes at room temperature.
3. Add the rest of the sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, spices, eggs and butter or margarine and stir together with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Briefly knead the candied orange and lemon peel, almonds and soaked raisins and currants into the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume. Line the baking sheet with a triple layer of baking parchment.
5. Preheat the oven. Shape the dough into a stollen. To do this, roll out the dough to make a rectangle (about 30 x 25 cm/ 12 x 10 in). Roll up the dough starting with the long side and make a depression lengthways using the rolling pin. Fold the left side onto the right side to create a staggered effect. Using your hands, mould the centre of the stollen lengthways into a „bulge“. Put the stollen onto the prepared baking sheet and put in a warm place to rise again until it has visibly increased in volume. Put the baking sheet in the oven and alter the temperature as indicated below.
Top/bottom heat: preheat to about 250 °C/500 °F, bake at about 160 °C/325 °F,
Fan oven: preheat to about 220 °C/425 °F, bake at about 140 °C/275 °F,
Gas: preheat to mark 9, bake at Gas mark 2–3, Baking time: about 50 minutes.
6. Melt the butter and coat the warm stollen with it. Put the stollen on a rack to cool down and dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar.
CHRISTMAS PASTRY
130 | Curd cheese stollen
Traditional (about 20 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding soaking time
Baking time: about 55 minutes
For the pastry:
375 g/13 oz raisins
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) rum
500 g/18 oz plain (al
lpurpose) flour
1 packet baking powder
150 g/5 oz (3⁄4 cup) sugar
3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
2 drops almond essence
1 pinch each cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon (all ground)
2 tablespoons grated zest of untreated orange
2 medium eggs
200 g/7 oz (1 cup) soft butter or margarine
250 g/9 oz curd cheese (low fat)
250 g/9 oz blanched ground almonds
100 g/31⁄2 oz candied lemon peel
100 g/31⁄2 oz candied orange peel
For coating and dusting:
100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) butter
50 g/2 oz (1⁄2 cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar
Per piece:
P: 8 g, F: 20 g, C: 49 g, kJ: 1787, kcal: 427
1. Soak the raisins and currants in rum for several hours (or even better, overnight).
2. Preheat the oven and line the baking sheet with three layers of baking parchment.
3. To make the dough, mix together the flour and baking powder and sift into a mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients for the dough (except for the almonds, candied lemon and orange peel) and stir with a hand mixer, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting to make the dough. Then incorporate the almonds, candied orange and lemon peel and the raisins softened in rum on a lightly floured work surface, and knead into a smooth dough.
4. Roll out the dough into a square (30 x 30 cm/12 x 12 in). Roll up the dough and make a depression lengthways using the rollingpin, and fold the left side so that it overlaps halfway over the right side. Using your hands, shape the middle of the stollen lengthways into a „bulge“. Place the stollen on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Set the oven temperature as indicated below.
Top/bottom heat: preheat to about 250 °C/500 °F, bake at about 180 °C/350 °F,
Fan oven: preheat to about 220 °C/425 °F, bake at about 160 °C/350 °F,
Gas: preheat to mark 9, bake at Gas mark 4, Baking time: about 55 minutes.
5. Melt the butter in a small pan and brush half of it over the stollen immediately after taking it out of the oven, then dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar. Put the stollen on a rack to cool a little and repeat the process.
CHRISTMAS PASTRY
131 | Honey cake
Good for preparing in advance–traditional (about 20 pieces)
Preparation time: about 25 minutes, excluding cooling time
Baking time: about 20 minutes
For the pastry:
250 g/9 oz honey
125g/41⁄2 oz (5⁄8 cup) butter or margarine
2 medium eggs
1 pinch each cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg (all ground)
grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
375 g/131⁄2 oz (33⁄4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 packet baking powder
2 level teaspoons cocoa powder
100 g/31⁄2 oz currants
100 g/31⁄2 oz ground hazelnut kernels
In addition:
some milk
100 g/31⁄2 oz blanched flaked almonds
3 tablespoons apricot preserve
200 g/7 oz plain chocolate
2 teaspoons cooking oil
walnut halves
hazelnut kernels
blanched almonds
Per piece:
P: 6 g, F: 18 g, C: 34 g, kJ: 1360, kcal: 325
1. Preheat the oven and grease the baking sheet (40 x 30 cm/ 16 x 12 in) with fat.
2. For the dough, melt the honey together with the margarine or butter in a pan, stirring slowly. Then transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool down.
3. Add the eggs, spices and grated lemon zest to the almost cold honey and butter or margarine mixture and stir with a hand mixer at the highest setting. Mix together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, sift and add in spoonfuls to the mixture, stirring at the medium setting. Finally, quickly stir in the currants and hazelnuts.
4. Spread the dough on the prepared baking sheet, brush some milk over the dough, sprinkle the almonds on top and put in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (preheated), Gas mark 4 (preheated),
Baking time: about 20 minutes.
5. To make the apricot glaze, rub the apricot jam through a sieve and brush the cake with it immediately after taking it out of the oven and put on a rack to cool down without removing it from the baking sheet.
6. To make the chocolate icing, coarsely chop the chocolate, melt with the oil in a bain-marie over low heat and coat the cooled cake with it. Further garnish the cake with walnuts halves, hazelnut kernels or almonds. When the icing has set, cut the cake in pieces and store in a well-sealed container.
ADVICE
Bread
There are many ways to make bread and bread rolls, as far as the ingredients and baking techniques are concerned. The basic ingredient is always plain (all-purpose) flour. There are many varieties of flour such as wheat flour and rye flour, as well as several types of white flour and wholewheat flour.
The shape of the bread depends on the consistency of the dough. Soft dough is baked in rectangular tins while strong dough can be baked "free", that is, on a baking sheet.
Strong dough must be kneaded again a second time after the first rising to ensure a light texture. Placing an ovenproof bowl filled with water in the oven will encourage a soft crumb and crisp crust. Brushing the bread with a little water before the end of the baking time will ensure a particularly crisp crust.
When using wholewheat flour the amount of water required for the dough may vary. Depending on how finely the flour has been ground, it will obsorb more or less water. This is why the amounts of water mentioned in the recipes can only be approximate.
You can check whether the bread is fully cooked by tapping the bread on the top and bottom. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done.
Storing
Bread will keep fresh for several days if it is wrapped in foil or in a freezer bag and stored in cool conditions.
Bread and bread rolls freeze very well and should be defrosted at room temperature while still wrapped, then crispened for 10 minutes in the oven, heated to the prescribed baking temperature.
BREAD
132 | White bread
Easy
Preparation time: about 20 minutes, excluding rising time
Baking time: about 45 minutes
For a rectangular tin or bread tin (30 x 11 cm/12 x 41⁄2 in):
some fat
breadcrumbs
For the yeast dough:
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) milk
500 g/18 oz plain (allpurpose) flour
1 packet fast action dried yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar
1 slightly heaped teaspoon salt
2 medium eggs
yolk of 1 medium egg
150 g/5 oz crème fraîche
Per piece:
P: 79 g, F: 74 g, C: 373 g, kJ: 10404, kcal: 2493
1. Warm the milk for the dough. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the dried yeast and mix carefully. Now add the other ingredients for the dough including the warm milk and stir quickly into the mixture with a hand mixer with kneading hook, first at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes to make a smooth dough. Cover the dough and put in a warm place to rise until it has visibly increased in volume. Grease the bread tin and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
2. Preheat the oven top and bottom. Knead the dough again briefly, put in the prepared tin and return to a warm place to rise again until it has visibly increased in volume.
3. Make an incision lengthways 1 cm/3⁄8 in deep along the top of the bread, using a sharp knife and without pressing down. Brush some water over it and put the tin on a shelf in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (prehe
ated),
Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (preheated), Gas mark 4 (preheated),
Baking time: about 45 minutes.
4. Take the bread out of the tin and put on a rack to cool down.
Variation: You can make white bread with raisins by kneading 150 g/5 oz raisins into the dough.
BREAD
133 | Choux pastry rolls
For guests–sophisticated (10–12 pieces)
Preparation time: about 30 minutes
Baking time: about 35 minutes
For the baking sheet:
some fat
plain (all-purpose) flour
For the choux pastry:
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) water
50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) butter or margarine
125 g/41⁄2 oz (5⁄8 cup) plain (all purpose) white flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
ground nutmeg
3 medium eggs
1⁄2 level teaspoon baking powder
Per piece:
P: 3 g, F: 6 g, C: 7 g, kJ: 394, kcal: 94
1. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Grease and flour the baking sheet.
2. For the dough, bring the water to the boil in a small pan with the butter or margarine. Remove the pan from the heat. Sift the flour, add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, mixing well, then add all at once to the hot liquid. Stir well until the paste is smooth and becomes detached from the sides of the pan, then continue cooking for about 1 minute stirring continuously and transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Add the eggs to the dough one after the other and incorporate them by stirring with a mixer (with kneading hook) at the highest setting. Using 2 tablespoons, make 10–12 small balls of dough, put on the baking sheet and put in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
