Ok, I'm warning you right from the start, this is going to be a long post, but so well worth the effort.The last time I sent Ron for yeast, instead of just getting me a few packages or a little jar from the supermarket, he went to the Bulk Barn and picked up a 450g package of yeast! What was he thinking!!##! Even though it has an expiry date till 2009, you just know that it won't last that long. So naturally I have been looking for yeast recipes to use up some of that yeast. Last month I came across an interesting food blog at "Schnuppschnuss ihr manzfred", she writes in German, and while it has been many years since I took 2 years of German at university, I am able to plod along quite adequately and what I loose in the translation I improvise and so far it has been an interesting adventure with many favorable results. But I digress... what caught my eye was the fact that it called for 42g of yeast (roughly a little more than 2T of yeast) now this in itself isn't so astounding, but it was used with only250g of flour . I was convinced that this couldn't be right, not after I made those buttermilk rolls and used 6 cups of flour! But I was further intrigued when much to my amazement , with all that yeast , you didn't even let it rise in a warm place but rather you immersed the dough in COLD water. Now I was hooked, I had to try this this recipe! It is called a Sweet Water Kringel,(Susser Wasser Kringel). So come on and I'll walk you through the steps.
The dough is made in 2 stages, I followed the directions exactly, so far so good, I had a small sized dough that was now ready for the next stage.
KNEADED DOUGH
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean kitchen towel and crisscross the edges of the towel , covering the dough and make a little bundle
Place the bundled dough in a big bowl or pot that will hold at least 8L of COLD water.
The dough will sink to the bottom of the bowl filled with water. Roughly in 45 minutes the dough will flip and you will see that it is slightly bopping out of the water . You are now ready to take it out and let it drain . Begin to work the dough for Stage 2. I needed to add a little flour at this stage,even though the recipe did not call for it,as I found it just too sticky. This is where the improvisation comes in. I know what a yeast dough should feel like, while it should be slightly sticky I felt that 1/2 cup of extra flour was needed at this stage while incorporating the sugar and lemon peel.
While the dough was in the water bath, it is a good time to prepare the marzipan (almond paste) filling.
I didn't include any pictures of the rolling out part and the spreading of the filling, but that is the easy part. Sort of, at one point I rolled out the dough too thin and it tore and of course I patched it,and you guessed it the filling did ooze out during the baking process, but it didn't really make a huge difference to the end product. When we cut into the Kringel it was light and airy and so delicious, "like butter!", it just melted in your mouth and believe me one piece was not enough!
Finished Kringel Before icing.
...after icing
Upon further research I found out that the Original Kringel is usually prepared at Christmas time, it is not filled with marzipan but rather with raisins, and candied fruit, and it is not put in a cold water bath but left to rise in a warm place. I have no clue who invented this recipe, but I believe that I will prepare it again, only because it was so good. I am already wondering what the filling would taste like with some extra added chocolate to the marzipan ? Umm now that sounds like a plan, and I will definitely try the Xmas Original version , so look for that one in the coming months.
Susser Wasser Krinhel
DOUGH STAGE 1
250g flour (& extra for stage 2)
125 g butter
2 eggs
2-3T milk
42 g fresh yeast or 2T dry yeast
FILLING
125 g almond paste
100 g sugar
1 pinch salt
2T water
DOUGH STAGE 2
60 g sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 lemon grate the peel
*remember I added roughly 1/2 cup of flour at this stage just so dough was not that sticky to roll out, although it was not included in the printed recipe.
TOPPING
1T melted butter
50 g slivered almonds
100 g icing sugar and a few T of water to make a liquid frosting to drizzle on top of kringel,when it comes out of the oven and is still warm
Dissolve the yeast in slightly warm milk, let stand for a few minutes to let it proof.
In your standing mixer with the paddle, (or by hand using a spoon) add the flour, eggs, butter and mix ingredients. Add yeast/milk mixture to the dough and with the kneading attachment (or by hand) start kneading everything together on low speed until a ball starts to form. With hands form a ball.
On a clean kitchen towel , place dough ball in center of towel .
Criss cross ends and tie into a knot.
In a large bowl or pot that will hold at least 8L of Cold water place toweled dough.
Let sit in water bath for at least 45 minutes.
When the dough starts to flip so that knots are facing downward and the dough starts to bop out of the water , the dough is ready.
Drain dough from wet towel. dough will be slightly wet.
While you are waiting for the dough to flip, you can prepare the filling.
Thoroughly mix the almond paste with the sugar and the water to make a smooth paste that will be brushed on the dough as a filling . Take a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet and grease and flour the pan, or line with some parchment paper that has been buttered. (Just in case the filling oozes out like it did for me) it will be easier to clean up the sugar mess.
When dough has flipped take it out ,dredge the counter with extra flour and re knead the dough adding the salt, sugar,lemon peel and a touch of extra flour if needed to make a dough that will now be rolled out into a rectangle.
I put the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to roll out the dough into a rectangle that sort of measured around 23x35 cm. Don't roll too thin as it will tear.
Brush the almond filling on the rectangle leave a nice edge bare all around the rectangle ,so that you will be able to pinch the seams together without the filling spilling out.
Start rolling the dough together from the longer sides to make a long tube. Pinch all open seams together and carefully bring the ends together to make a circle. PINCH the ends together, and carefully place your circle tube with the SEAMS DOWN.
Melt the 1T of butter ,brush the top of the kringel with the melted butter and place the slivered almonds all around the top of the Kringel
Bake in a preheated400F oven for 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to 350F and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes.
When it is golden remove from oven and drizzle with icing sugar mixed with 2-3T of water.
When cool, if you can wait that long, enjoy with a cup of coffee!
