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Authentic Hutzelbrot Bread (German Dried Fruit and Nut)

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Thu, 05 Dec 2019 19:10:05 -0800
v119.n049.4
* Exported from MasterCook *

          Bread, Authentic Hutzelbrot (German Dried Fruit and Nut)

Recipe By     :Kimberly Killebrew
Serving Size  : 48    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread-Bakers Mailing List       Christmas
                 Ethnic                          Fruit
                 Nuts                            Posted
                 Stand Mixer

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   500                g  dried pears -- (16 ozs)
   350                g  dried figs -- (12 ozs)
   250                g  dried apricots -- (8 ozs)
   250                g  dried plums -- (8 ozs)
   950               mL  water -- (4C)
   500                g  raisins -- (16 ozs)
   3        Tablespoons  rum
   3          teaspoons  active dry yeast
   350                g  all-purpose flour -- (2 1/2C)
   150                g  rye flour -- medium to dark, (1 1/2C)
   150                g  granulated sugar -- (3/4C), See note 1
      1/4      teaspoon  salt
   2        tablespoons  ground cinnamon
   1 1/2    tablespoons  anise seed -- ground or finely crushed, (note 2)
   250                g  whole hazelnuts -- (8 ozs)
   250                g  whole almonds -- (8 ozs)
   60                 g  candied orange peel -- (2 ozs)
   60          gcandied  lemon peel -- (2 ozs)
                         Homemade Candied Orange & Lemon Peel -- (note 3)
   1                  T  lemon zest -- of one lemon
   16             whole  blanched almonds -- for decorating

Notes:
1: Hutzelbrot is not meant to be overly sweet; add more sugar if desired
2: Anise seed is NOT the same as star anise!
3: Candied peel - STRONGLY recommended to make your own
  https://daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-candied-orange-and-lemon-peel/

This is a very old-fashioned, very rustic bread, old-fashioned fruit 
and nut bread, from where I grew up in the Swabia region of southern 
Germany. It is a sweet Winter bread that keeps well and can be eaten 
anytime of the year.

Prep: 1:30
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 2:30

Place the dried fruits (except for the raisins) in a pot and pour the 
water over them.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and 
simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 
3 hours.  Pour them into a colander over a bowl to collect all of the 
liquid.  Let it strain for a sufficient amount of time to ensure as 
much of the liquid is drained out as possible.  Reserve the fruit 
liquid, you'll need it later.  (See NOTE below)

While the dried fruits are cooling, place the raisins in a bowl and 
stir in the rum so the raisins soak it all up.

Toast the whole almonds and hazelnuts in the oven until fragrant (be 
careful not so scorch them) and once cooled chop them very coarsely 
(basically just in half). Coarsely chop the drained dried fruits.

Heat 1 1/4 cups of the reserved fruit water (keep the rest for later) 
until just lukewarm. Stir the yeast into it along with a couple 
teaspoons of the sugar. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes 
until very frothy.

While the yeast mixture is sitting, add the flours, sugar, salt, 
ground anise seed and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir 
to combine. Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture in. 
Using the dough hook, knead the mixture until it comes together and 
then knead for about 6 minutes.  The dough will be very firm. Lightly 
spray the bowl and put the dough ball back in. Loosely cover it with 
plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. The 
dough will not rise much, it will just get slightly puffy.

Add the chopped dried fruits, raisins, candied lemon and orange 
peels, chopped toasted nuts and lemon zest to the dough.  Using the 
dough hook, knead the mixture until it is thoroughly combined. The 
fruits will become mushier and incorporate into the dough and 
depending on how much liquid was drained out of the dried fruits, the 
dough may be very wet. Continue adding a little flour at a time until 
the dough is manageable. You do NOT want it to become stiff and dry, 
it needs to remain soft and moist but not too wet. You want to reduce 
the moisture just until the dough is manageable enough to turn out 
onto a work surface where you will continue to add a little more 
flour as needed.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Use your 
hands to knead the dough to make sure all the ingredients are evenly 
incorporated, adding more flour as needed until you've got a round 
dough ball that is soft and malleable but not sticky on the outside.

Place the dough ball into a lightly sprayed large bowl and cover 
loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for about 
2 hours. It will not rise very much, it will just become a little 
puffy. Punch it down in the center, cover with plastic wrap and place 
it in the refrigerator overnight. This will improve the flavor of the 
yeast dough and also enable to flavors of the fruits and spices to 
develop and fully penetrate the dough.

NOTE: If you're in a hurry, you can skip the overnight refrigeration 
step (though we recommend it). After letting the dough rest at room 
temp for 2 hours, follow the steps to form the Hutzelbrot loaves, and 
let them rest for another 60 to 90 minutes until slightly puffy, 
brush with the fruit juice and bake as instructed.

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room 
temperature for 4 to 5 hours. Again, it won't rise a whole lot but it 
will become puffier. Cut the dough ball into 4 equal portions (though 
the dough won't have risen much, it will be nice and puffy when you 
cut into it). Don't make the loaves any larger, you want to ensure 
the inside is fully baked before the outside burns.

Form each piece into oval-shaped loaves and place them on a lined 
baking sheet. NOTE: If you prefer, you can divide them further to 
make 8 smaller loaves (in which case I recommend forming them into 
little round loaves) and reduce the baking time.

Place the whole, blanched almonds on top in the traditional manner 
. Loosely lay some plastic wrap over the top and let the loaves rest 
in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes until just slightly puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Brush each loaf all over with the reserved fruit juice, saving half 
of it for later. Bake the loaves on the middle rack for about an hour 
until very dark brown but not burnt. Pick one up with a dish towel 
and knock on the bottom to see if it sounds fairly hollow.

Remove the loaves from the oven and, while still hot, poke them all 
over with a toothpick and brush them with the remaining fruit juice. 
Let them cool completely and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap 
and then foil to let them "ripen" for at least several days (ideally 2 
weeks) before eating.  That will ensure the best flavor and texture. 
(If letting them ripen beyond a few days, I keep them in the fridge.)

Slice, spread with a little butter and enjoy! (I like it best heated 
up for a few seconds in the microwave.)

NOTE ABOUT STAND MIXERS: Mine is 6 QT and everything fit. If your 
stand mixer is smaller it will need to be mixed in two batches which 
is fine because everything will get dumped out on the work surface and 
mixed together again.

Note: to blanch, bring the almonds to a boil in some water, rinse and 
squeeze to remove the skins.

Note:  While the dried pears are the featured fruits of Hutzelbrot 
("Hutzel" means pear) and should be used generously, feel free to 
adjust the ratios of the other dried fruits or substitute them 
according to your preference.  You can also include dried apples.

Note:  Depending on how soft your dried plums are, you may not need 
to simmer them, just add them for the soak.  Also, if your dried 
pears are on the softer side you can reduce the length of simmer time.

Note:  Depending on how thirsty your dried fruits were in soaking up 
the water, if you find you don't have enough liquid for the 1 1/2 
cups you'll need for the dough plus extra for brushing the loaves 
later on, add a little extra water to it.

Cal 206, Fat 5g, Carb 38g, Sod 18mg, Fiber 4g, Pro 3g

S(Internet address):
   https://www.daringgourmet.com/hutzelbrot-german-fruit-and-nut-bread/
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 484 Calories; 30g Fat (52.3% 
calories from fat); 14g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 
0mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 
Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fruit; 5 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : 2018 - 1230