Eric Kayser's recipe for Alsatian kouglof

What if we took advantage of this reconfinement to create our own breads and buns (again)? For the end of the year celebrations, baker Eric Kayser offers you a recipe in homage to his origins: the Alsatian kouglof recipe!

The kouglof is a cake that has the particularity of being made in a mold with a central chimney, which allows an optimal distribution of heat during cooking. You must have this mold in your kitchen to realize the recipe as it should be!

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Recipe of the Alsatian kouglof of Eric Kayser

Ingredients:

275g of flour
30g of natural leaven
140g of butter
60g sugar
6g of salt
15g of yeast
2 eggs
20g milk powder
24 whole almonds for decoration
85g slivered almonds for the recipe
70g raisins

Preparation:

Put the eggs, leaven, yeast, flour, milk powder, salt and sugar in the mixer and start kneading. Soften the butter between your fingers.

Once the dough is well kneaded, add the butter in first gear. Once the butter is well incorporated, add the almonds and raisins. If you want to add rum or kirsch, you can do so at this stage.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place it on your floured work surface. Form a ball between your hands, fold it and place it in a bowl, seam down.

Cover it with a clean cloth and let it grow for 2 hours in the open air. You can put your dough in the refrigerator overnight and take it out in the morning, letting it rise for two hours.

Place your dough on your floured work surface and divide it into 250/300g pieces. Roll up the dough pieces, bringing the edges to the center. Turn your dough pieces over on your work surface, sprinkle them with a little flour and let them rest for 30 minutes.

Add a whole almond to each groove in your pans. Pierce each center of your dough pieces by preparing the hole with your elbow, then, widening and smoothing with your hands. Place your dough pieces in the molds, seal them and let them grow a second time for 3 hours.

The dough pieces should now have reached the top of the moulds. Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

If you wish, you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar for the decoration

And for even more convenience, you can follow the recipe step by step in delivery:

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As a last resort, if you are really lazy to prepare this kouglof yourself, we have a tip for you: go and get a kouglof in the Eric Kayser bakeries currently open and make your family believe that you made it yourself!