New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-21
GERMAN COFFEE CAKE.
DIRECTIONS FROM AN EXPERT.



eminently the country OF philosophers and-cae Any
one walking abroad on Saturday IN the streets Of a
small town vlageespecIally In Central Germany-
may Of the lower classes and servant girls,
In ceanest attire bsiy going to ana from the BAKE
houses with their loads OF cake Some OF the cakes
are as big wheel, spread out on sheetiron plat
ters which the carry nesting on their hips,
while with their hands they take hold OF the outer
extremity OF the monster cakepans. These cakes
are principally the plain kind Of everyday fare eaten
with coffee at breakfast with coffee In the AFTERNOON
and with tea In the evening" The conee ana YEA CAKE
therefore Is an item with which the German house
wife has to reckon. There varieties nnumerabe'
Each province State town has its own particular
varieties and often is celebrated for IT, There is the
| Festbrod" holiday bread OF Hosten, the coffee
bread OF Hamburg, the thick cake Of Braunschweig'
the different cakes OF Hanover, Homburg. Frankfurt,
Saxony and Freburg; the buter-roll OF East Fries
land the "KugelkOpf" ard "Kipfel" OF Austria inc
bread OF t'lm There cakes also to which the
proud names Of emperor king and count and bishop
and apostles attached; cakes OF the
Ursuine nuns and the Franciscan monks
There IS In fact no end TO the names OF
the different coffee and tea cakes. But the founda-
ton OF all OF them Is good deal the same. 1t Is n
dough leayencd with yeast, and the varieties are
chiefly produced by larger or smaller proportions OF
butter eggs -four, sugar and milk and by additions OF
certain Havors and fruit. There are, OF course. a
great many finer cakes which you see served In Ger
many with tea and coffee 1t is not with them am
concerned to-day 1t Is with the humber article wish
to DEAL which is within the reach OF ALL and therefore
almost national in Germany.
Let us begin ut the base and see how the simple
| "Hefenteig" or leavened dough, Is made. The es-
senal thing to be successful is to have good yeast
and to have all your ingredients put In warm place
for hours advance Of beginning TO set your sponge
They should all be lukewarm. To make thr sponge
| tntn vnnr
-four; then make hollow in the middle OF It, into
which YOU pour your yeast. Mix the yeast with d
few tables poonfuls OF the -FOUR cover your pan with
cloth warmed beforehand. and put 1t In warm place
where the sponge will rise. BE sure 10 nave Tue
whole process go In warm kitchen. ana see that
no cold air from open door or window strikes Inc
dough at any time Of procedure AS to the yeast you
may take either q homemade kind or the compressed
yeast which you buy In any case be sure that 1t Is
the sweetest and freshest II II Is compressed yeast
half an ounce Is needed In proportion to one pound OF
-four for any cake OF plain and simple kind But
for richer cake, especially II fruit Is added, one
ounce OF yeast will be needed TO pound OF flour
To dissolve the compressed yeast put It In warm mot
hoD milk-from a gill to half pint OF tt-and stir
until smooth when add 1t to the -four. or homemade
yeast you have to take at least double the above
quantity.
After Your sponge has risen to double Its original
volume work 1t the -four surrounding 1t ana the
other ingredients your recipe calls for not forgetting
that every article must have the same warm tent
pcrature Then your dough will have to be either
| thoroughly kneaded and worked over and over, or
beaten I'm one direction with big spoon until quite
light after which 1t has to be left standing In warm
place for another rising OF at least one hour.
| In the above you have the general principle to be
kept in mind for carrying out the recipes am going to
enumerate In selecting them have had an eye as
to their adaptablity to conditions in this country.
begin with one OF the simplest varieties OF coffee cake
Make sponge OF pound Of flour and half an ounce
OF Yeast II am speaking OF compressed yeast In all my
recpes dissolved In milk. After the sponge has risen
add two ounces OF butter one tablespoonful OF sugar.
and saltspoonful Of SALT provided the butter Is not
much sailed. In Germany the butter used Is either
very slightly salted or not ut ALL II briny. the but
ter will have to be freshened By washing II through
several changes Of cold water Now begin to work
your dough until It bllsters. Do not make II too
stiff Roll II out on baking board busted with flour
until It Is about IN inch thick then remove It to your
baking pan, which ought to be shallow one made OF
sheetlr0n Butter the latter before you put the
dough in II. Put II near the stove for another rising
and before you bake IL go all over It with soft brush
dipped In melted butter. 1t needs hot oven. Bake
until about half DONE when take It out sprinkle quick
IL with cold WATER and then sift plenty OF graduated
sugar over the whole OF It. Put back IN the oven and
finish baking your cake. II ought to be light brown
one Of the oddly shaped coffee cakes Is called Zopf
(bradl. Try this recipe Set sponge with one pound
Of -four three quarters Of ounce OF yeast and hall
a pint OF milk, and let It rise. Meanwhile beat TO
cream quarter OF a pound OF butter. add two eggs
two ounces OF sugar and a saltspooniul OF SALT
When the sponge is ready add this mixture and beat
the whole vigorously until bistering Let 1t rise
again. Then remove the dough to your baking board
well busted with flour divide 1t into three even paris
which roll with your hands dipped In flour until the
thickness Of big spool OF cotton Place side by side
these hong rolls Of dough plat them into braid
pinch together the ends both above and below. and
remove to a sheeroa pan which has been buttered
Let II stand for another rising Finally brush Your
braid with egg beaten up dust sugar over 1t. ana
bake II IN n hot oven for one hour
II your pan is not large enough for one braid OF
this proportion. form Your dough into two braids. or
divide the former into many smaller braids as YOU
desire and have several bakngs one after the other
The smaller these cakes the less time they win take
In baking
An excellent cake for coffee tea goes bv the name
of Bavaran waspsnests." Take pound and a half
Of -four sit 1t into large pan or bowl add six eggs
half pound OF melted butter (which must not be ho
one pint Of cream or rich milk. one ounce and half
OF yeast dissolved In the latter. and saspoOnul Of
salt Work all this together until pretty firm Bills
tering dough. and let 1t rise. Then remove to a
Toured baking board and roll out the dough into thin
sheet Brush II with melted butter and sprinkle
thick with well picked and washed dried currants
aim )nds a1ched and minced. powdered cinnamon ana
sugar Then cut the dough into strips OF three
fingers width roll up these strips from one end
to the other. and place the rolls on end In butercl
igh.rmmed form. Cover II up with warm cloth
and let 1t rise again. Bake in a moderately hot oven
for three-quarters Of an hour II takes large form
TO bake the above quantity.
one Of the finest kind OF coffee cakes is the follow
Ing. called "Phinderbrezf]' Set sponge of two
Of yeast, half cuphil Of milk and SIX ounces
OF -four Let II rise. and meanwhile mix together
one pound two ounces OF -four one whole and the
yolks OF four eggs tablespoonful OF salt. the grated
rnd OF half a lemon, tiny pinch OF powdered mace,
three ounces OF sugar ana miM sufficient to produce
a rather stIh dough. Then add three ounces OF but
ter and the sponge. Work the whole right we'll with
your hands. cover II up with a warm cloth and let
il rise. Meanwhile take ten ounces Of butter. wash
1t In cold water until rid Of all salt. dry II with 4