LarryG on 17/12/2015 at 14:27
Here are two of our family favorites for the holidays:
StollenHave ready:
6 to 8 cups of bread flour (all purpose flour will work too, just not as well)
Combine and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes
[INDENT]1 ½ cups tepid (105⁰ - 115⁰ F) milk
2 packages (2 tbs) active dried yeast[/INDENT]
Add 1 cup of the flour to the proofed yeast. Cover this “sponge” and let it sit in a warm place until very light and foamy, about an hour.
Sprinkle ¼ cup of the flour over
[INDENT] ½ lb raisins
½ lb chopped almonds
½ cup chopped candied mixed fruits[/INDENT]
Beat until soft
[INDENT] 1 ½ cups room temperature butter[/INDENT]
Add gradually, and beat until fluffy and almost white in color
[INDENT] ¾ cups white, sifted sugar (use baker's sugar if you have it, as the finer grains work best)[/INDENT]
Beat in, one at a time
[INDENT] 3 eggs[/INDENT]
Add
[INDENT] ¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp grated lemon rind[/INDENT]
Add the sponge and enough of the remaining flour to knead the dough into a smooth, elastic mass holds together and is not sticky to a light touch.
Place into a lightly buttered rising bowl, cover, place in a warm spot, and let rise until doubled in bulk.
After the first rising, upend the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, let rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then knead in the floured fruits and nuts until evenly distributed.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each into 8 x 11 inch ovals. Fold in half lengthwise, placing the seam underneath, and put the loaves onto oiled baking sheets.
Brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter, lightly cover each with plastic wrap and a tea towel (to keep the plastic wrap down), and let rise in a draft free, warm spot until doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes).
Pre-heat oven to 350⁰ F.
When the loaves are doubled in bulk, bake 30 to 40 minutes in the center of the oven.
When cooled, brush the tops with lemon glaze
Lemon Glaze Mix 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar with ½ cup fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat until smooth.
LebkuchenWarm in a large sauce pot:
[INDENT] 1 ½ cups honey, molasses, or a combination of the two totaling 1 ½ cups
¾ cups sugar
[/INDENT]
Add and melt
[INDENT]3 tbs butter[/INDENT]
In a separate bowl, stir together
[INDENT] 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp double-acting baking powder
½ tsp baking soda[/INDENT]
Add the warm butter - sugar - honey - molasses mix to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth
Add
[INDENT] ½ cup blanched almonds
¼ cup chopped citron
¼ cup chopped candied orange or lemon peel
¼ tsp ginger
½ tsp cardamom
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves[/INDENT]
Add (mix with a wooden spoon, not beaters!!)
[INDENT] 1 ½ to 2 cups all-purpose flour[/INDENT]
The dough should be quite thick and sticky to the touch.
Pat out ( ¼ inch thick) onto buttered pans, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let “age” overnight in a cold area (unheated garages in places where it is cold this time of year are great for this, or use your refrigerator).
After aging, bake in a 350⁰ F oven for about 25 minutes
Cool, cover with lemon glaze, and cut into 1 ½ inch squares.
And a bonus recipe: LarryG's Pecan Crumble Pumpkin PieThe Pie Crust
[INDENT]3 oz (6 tbs) butter, chilled
1 oz (2 tbs) lard (or unflavored vegetable shortening such as Crisco), chilled
3 oz (approx.. ½ cup) all-purpose flour (+ a little more for rolling the dough later on)
3 oz (approx.. ½ cup) graham crackers beaten into submission and ground into flour (should sift - if it doesn't, grind it some more until it does)
½ tsp salt
¼ cup ice water, in a spritz bottle if possible, and not if you don't have one. But definitely have the water ice cold (32 degrees F)
Approximately 32 oz of dried beans or pie weights for blind baking + parchment paper (or aluminum foil)[/INDENT]
* Place butter and lard in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
* In the bowl of a food processor combine the all-purpose flour, graham cracker flour, and the salt.
* Pulse 3 or 4 time to mix.
* Take both fats out of the freezer and cut into small pieces separately. A cheese grater does a great job of this if the fats are cold enough. If not, well, you want them colder now, don't you?
* Add butter pieces and pulse 5 or 6 times (mixture should look mealy)
* Add the lard and pulse another 3 or 4 times.
* Remove the food processor lid and spritz the surface of the mixture with ice water (or just dribble a very small amount in).
* Replace the lid and pulse 5 or 6 times.
* Repeat steps 7 and 8 until the mixture just holds together when squeezed with your hand. Try to use as little ice water as possible to get this to happen.
* Place the mixture into a large (quart sized) zip-lock plastic bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, then press into a flattened round disk and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Better to refrigerate overnight. You can hold the dough in your refrigerator for up to 3 days, but any longer and you should throw the dough away and start over.
* When ready to bake the pie shell, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
* Place 2 metal pie pans in the refrigerator to chill. Yes, I know this recipe only makes one crust, but stay with me.
* Remove the dough from the refrigerator & cut along two sides of the plastic bag so that the bag will just open flat with the dough exposed.
* Sprinkle both sides of the dough with flour.
* Cover the dough again with the plastic ex-bag and roll out (with your favorite rolling pin) to an 11 inch round.
* Open up the plastic again, and sprinkle the top (only!) with flour.
* Place the dough into one of your chilled pie pans using any one of the following three methods:
* Method 1: Remove pie pans from refrigerator and set the first pie pan centered on top of the dough. Lift up under the plastic and turn everything upside down. Peel the plastic away from the bottom of the dough. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Place the 2nd chilled pie pan upside down on top of the dough and flip again. Remove the first pan from the dough.
* Method 2: Trim away the top half of the plastic bag so that the dough is just resting on top of a plastic sheet. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Lift from underneath the plastic and gently flip it face down into a pie pan. Center it then peel away the plastic.
* Method 3: Trim away the top half of the plastic bag so that the dough is just resting on top of a plastic sheet. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Fold the pie crust dough into quarters and lift it into a pie pan. Unfold it.
* Trim the edges of the dough as needed, leaving an overhanging lip.
* Poke a few holes in the dough with a fork, and loosely cover the dough with an aluminum foil sheet or parchment paper sheet, and fill with beans or pie weights. (DO NOT omit the foil or parchment or you will be sorry!).
* Place the pie pan with the dough and beans/weights into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
* Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and press lightly on the beans/weights to make sure that they have settled uniformly against the dough on the sides of the pan.
* Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F.
* Take out of the oven and remove the parchment/foil and beans/weights carefully.
* Put the pan back in the oven and continue to bake for another 10 - 15 minutes. The crust should be light golden in color.
* Remove the pan from the oven, set on a cooling rack, and let the crust cool completely before filling.
* * * Special Note: if using beans, don't try to cook them afterwards and eat them, they won't be good. Just throw them away or save them for use with other pie crusts. * * *
The Pie Filling
[INDENT]1 15 oz can of cooked pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
4 tbs butter melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs + 1 yolk (beaten together)
½ cup cream
½ cup Bailey's Irish Cream (accept not substitutes !!)
¼ cup + 2 tbs maple syrup
¼ cup + 1 tbs dark brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp grated nutmeg (grate your own for the best flavor)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
A few grinds of pepper[/INDENT]
The Pecan Crumble Topping
[INDENT]½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup pecans broken into small bee-bee sized pieces
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tbs butter at room temp[/INDENT]
Filling Directions
* Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
* Combine the pumpkin puree with the remaining ingredients and whisk until it is well combined and smooth.
* Pour the filling into the partially baked pie shell.
* Fit a "pie rim / edge saver" over the rim of the pie to keep it from burning. (They actually manufacture & sell silicone ones [See (
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pie+crust+edge+protector&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=60707722867&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11618968704260656385&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3y1pbqecb6_b) Amazon for example], but it works to just fold a long strip of aluminum foil so that it covers the edge of the pie crust. )
* Turn down the oven to 375 degrees F.
* Place the pie into the middle of the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. The filling should be barely set on the edges and still raw in the middle.
* While the pie bakes, combine the crumble ingredients by hand (or in a food processor if you're a wimp). When mixed press handfuls together then lightly break them apart to get varying sized crumbles.
* Remove the pie from the oven when the filling is barely set on the edges (see step 5), remove the rim saver and sprinkle the top with a uniform layer of the crumble. If you start about a half foot or so over the pie, the crumble will distribute better than if you sprinkle from closer.
* Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.
* Test the pie for doneness by inserting a sharp knife or toothpick into the center. If it pulls out clean, the pie is done. If not, bake it for a little longer and test again.
* Cool the pie to room temperature and enjoy.
