Kugelhopf

Honey Brownies were this week's choice for the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers but as I've already baked those, I decided to give Dorie's Kugelhopf a try.

Kugelhopf is a very old recipe and is traditionally baked in its own special pan.  The pan is sort of high-top bundt pan--not as wide as a bundt pan and with a much narrower center hole.  I went to Cook's World yesterday, hoping to buy one.  They had 3 different pans ranging in price from $20 to $45.  I hemmed and hawed and remembered one of the TWD bakers resolution that she would not buy a pan that could only be used for one recipe.  The kugelhopf pan fits into that category so I decided to use my trusty bundt pan this time.

Kugelhopf is a cakey bread with plump raisins, and a brown, buttery crust.  Dorie's recipe is easy to follow--especially if you have a dough hook for your stand mixer!  It is necessary to allow lots of time for the bread to rise, however, as it raises for a couple of hours in a warm place, then in the refrigerator, then rests overnight in the refrigerator, then it raises again in the pan before baking.

Here it is baked and ready to be basted with butter!

And here it is, ready to be eaten on the First Day of Spring!

My first kugelhopf was beautiful and very tasty!  I just may need to buy a kugelhopf pan after all!