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Only later did I learn a little bit of the gugelhupf's history.
The name comes from two Old German words for "sphere" (gugel) and "head" (hupf), which together whimsically describe the mold's and bread's turban-like shape. The name may have been inspired by the turbans central Europeans saw on Turkish soldiers during the battles that swept across the continent in the 16th and 17th centuries. I like to think that the bread's turban shape helped make it a holiday favorite because it also recalls the headdresses worn by the Three Wise Men in the Christmas story.
You can find classic gugelhupf molds in well-stocked kitchen equipment stores or online. If you can't get your hands on one, though, you can also substitute a Bundt pan or even a simple tube pan of the same size.
Making gugelhupf is easier than ever thanks to the electric stand mixers so many of us have today. They're ideal for mixing and kneading the soft, rich, sticky dough, work my mother and grandmother did by hand. (You can also use a large-capacity heavy-duty food processor fitted with its dough blade.)
Once the dough has been mixed and kneaded, all that's left to do is let it rise once, and then roll it out and fill it before letting it rise a second time in the mold. Seedless raisins are a traditional filling feature, plumped up in the cherry-flavored brandy called kirshwasser or in rum or cognac, then tossed with chopped nuts. Feel free to use any kind of nuts you like, and substitute other dried fruit such as cherries. You could even toss in some chocolate chips.
When you bake your gugelhupf, don't shortchange its time in the oven.
The loaf will have the best flavor and texture when its crust turns a rich mahogany brown. Then, slice and serve it hot,
warm, or cooled. If any is left over the next day, toast slices under the broiler and spread with butter and jam for an
indescribably delicious holiday treat.
Makes 1 loaf, 8 to 12 servings
Ingredients - Gugelhupf Dough
1 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 ounce active dried yeast
1 pound bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cage-free eggs
3 ounces unsalted butter, cut in pieces
Ingredients - For Baking Gugelhupf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Ingredients - Gugelhupf Filling
3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 ounces roasted hazelnuts, chopped
3 ounces roasted blanched almonds, chopped
3 ounces golden raisins, soaked for 30 minutes in 1/4 cup kirshwasser, then drained
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Preparation - Gugelhupf
For the dough, put the milk in a small saucepan and insert a cooking thermometer. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the milk to 100 degrees F., watching the thermometer closely. Pour the milk immediately into a small mixing bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast. Set aside at warm room temperature until the yeast begins to bubble, about 15 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Using the paddle attachment of the mixer, at low speed, slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time and lastly, the butter, a few pieces at a time.
Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the dough looks elastic and almost forms a ball that rides around on the paddle, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave the dough at warm room temperature to rise until doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
Generously grease the inside of a 9-inch gugelhupf mold with the melted butter. Sprinkle the butter evenly with the granulated sugar. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a 12-by-16-inch rectangle 1/4 inch thick.
To fill the dough, spread the softened butter evenly over its surface. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle it evenly over the dough. Finally, sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and almonds and the drained raisins. Starting at one long edge, roll up the dough to form a compact log. Bend the log to fit it inside the prepared gugelhupf mold. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and leave at warm room temperature until the dough has doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
Bake the gugelhupf until its top is well risen a deep golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the gugelhupf mold to a wire rack and leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Then, place the rack on top of the mold and, holding the rack and mold securely together with potholders, invert them and lift off the mold to remove the gugelhupf.
Spoon the powdered sugar into a small, fine-meshed sieve and, holding it over the gugelhupf, gently tap its side to dust the gugelhupf. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
(c) 2008 WOLFGANG PUCK WORLDWIDE, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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Wolfgang Puck, in the eyes of food lovers and experts alike, is one of the most famous chefs in America and arguably the world. He has spawned a culinary empire that includes a fine dining group of 12 internationally acclaimed restaurants in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Maui; an extensive catering & events business with bases in Hollywood and Chicago, famed as official caterer to the Governors Ball following the Oscars; as well as Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc., a corporation that controls, licenses, and franchises the Wolfgang Puck brand in a wide variety of business activities, including casual Wolfgang Puck Cafes, fast-casual Wolfgang Puck Expresses, consumer packaged foods, cookware, book publishing, television, and the Internet.
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The Austrian-born Puck began his formal training at age 14, inspired by his mother, Maria, a hotel chef. He left Europe for America in 1973 at the age of 24, having already worked in the master kitchens of three-star French restaurants. In 1975, Puck moved to Los Angeles, and soon was both chef and part-owner of Ma Maison. It quickly became a magnet for the rich and famous, with Puck as star attraction. Since then, he has changed the way Americans cook and eat by fusing formal French techniques and Asian and California influenced esthetics with the highest quality ingredients.
After the 1981 publication of the first of his five cookbooks, Puck, in partnership with designer Barbara Lazaroff, opened Spago. Located in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip, it was an instant success and culinary phenomenon from its opening day in 1982. Although the original location closed in 2000, three years after the successful opening of Spago Beverly Hills, Spago Hollywood today is remembered internationally as a legendary haven for entertainment, political and social luminaries.
In 2000, Puck developed his own "Wolfgang Puck" television show, which began airing on the Food Network in January 2001. The show features Puck sharing his cooking expertise with a studio audience who joins him in his kitchen, along with field documentary segments in which he explores the vast and diverse world of food, from farms to artisan workshops to restaurants, and visits with such luminaries as Julia Child, Robert Mondavi and Paul Bocuse. "Wolfgang Puck" was awarded a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Service Show in 2002.
Puck also appears regularly on ABC's "Good Morning America," sharing his latest creations. He has been a guest on a multitude of other shows, including "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Entertainment Tonight," "ABC News with Peter Jennings," "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," "Frasier," and "The Simpsons." In 2001, the A&E Network featured Puck's life on its popular "Biography" series.
Puck and partner Barbara Lazaroff are actively involved in many philanthropic endeavors and charitable organizations, including their own Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, established in 1982, which supports the annual American Wine & Food Festival to benefit Meals-on-Wheels.
Puck lives in Beverly Hills. He and Barbara Lazaroff have two sons, Cameron and Byron.
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