Kouglof Alsacien

Name: Kouglof Alsacien
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 160 g raisins; 3 tbsp kirsch; 450 g strong white bread flour; 60 g caster sugar; 9 g fine salt; 20 g fresh yeast or 8 g dried yeast; 250 ml warm whole milk; 2 large eggs; 120 g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for the mould; 20 whole blanched almonds; icing sugar, to finish

by CommunityKitchen

FrenchMedium4 hrServes 10

The fluted crown brioche of Alsace, baked in a glazed earthenware mould lined with whole almonds and studded with kirsch-soaked raisins, eaten in slices with coffee on a Sunday morning.

Per
serving

379kcal

9gprotein

55gcarbs

13gfat

Ingredients

160 g raisins
3 tbsp kirsch
450 g strong white bread flour
60 g caster sugar
9 g fine salt
20 g fresh yeast or 8 g dried yeast
250 ml warm whole milk
2 large eggs
120 g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for the mould
20 whole blanched almonds
icing sugar, to finish

Before you cook

Put the raisins in a bowl with the kirsch and enough warm water to cover, then leave them to swell for one hour.
Crumble the yeast into the warm milk with a spoonful of the sugar and leave it 10 minutes until foamy.
Butter a 24 cm kouglof mould very thoroughly, working the butter into every flute.
Press one whole almond into the base of each flute in the mould.

Steps

Put the flour, the remaining sugar and the salt in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Add the yeasted milk and the two eggs and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Add the soft butter a spoonful at a time and knead for a further 10 minutes, until the dough is glossy and pulls away from the bowl.
Drain the raisins thoroughly and pat them dry on kitchen paper.
Knead the raisins into the dough on low speed for one minute, just until they are evenly distributed.
Cover the bowl and leave to rise at room temperature for 90 minutes, until doubled in size.
Knock the dough back gently on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball.
Push your thumbs through the centre to make a hole and widen it to fit the mould's chimney.
Lower the dough ring into the mould without dislodging the almonds and press it down level.
Cover and prove for 60 to 75 minutes, until the dough has risen to within 1 cm of the rim.
Heat the oven to 175C fan.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, covering the top loosely with foil after 25 minutes if it browns too fast.
Check that a skewer pushed into the thickest part comes out clean.
Leave the kouglof in its mould for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack.
Cool completely, dust heavily with icing sugar and slice thinly.

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