Germany on my mind today as I watch with grave concern the flooding and devastation. It’s not the region of Germany where I have a lot of family (though my father’s side is closer, mother’s side is from the south — and not to worry, all family and friends are accounted for and well). And, I had to feed the sourdough starter and was feeling particularly German, so I made this Mandel-Rosienenzopf. Roughly, it’s a Challah style bread, most commonly called a Hefezopf of Hefekranz, but seeing I wasn’t using Hefe (yeast), I couldn’t very well call it either of that, so I went with Raisin and Almond Challah. It’s light and got a bit of a chew on the inside and is very flavorful. It reminds me of my Oma, who used to dunk it in her milk coffee.
Ingredients
for the dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 grams) active sourdough starter
1 cup milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup raisins
For baking and garnishing
1 eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of milk for egg wash
3 tablespoons almond slices
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. In another bowl (or large measuring cup), combine warm milk, starter, melted butter, almond extract and the egg. Combine wet and dry ingredients until well mixed, before adding the raisins and mixing until fully incorporated. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
Divide dough into 3 equal balls. Roll to three snakes approximately 16 inches long, and, on a piece of parchment, loosely braid together. I know there are complex challah braiding methods and shapes (3, 4 or 6 strands, to swirls, wreaths, and complex braids; this is just a “boring old 3 strand braid”) Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Let rise, covered with a clean dishtowel, while the oven heats, about 30 minutes. Set oven to heat to 350F.
Once the oven is ready, brush the challah with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with almond slices, before sliding into the oven and baking for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
