• German Honey Biscuits

• Leavened Bread

• Baeckenoffa

• Bauernfruhstuck

• Bratkartoffel mit Gemuese

• Zwetschgenmus

• Falscher Hase

• Hasenpfeffer

• Karotten in Bier Gedunstet

• Mohren mit Geschnetzeltern

• Plunder Flechten

• Plunderteig

German Honey Biscuits

Ingredients

• 125gms butter 
• 2 eggs - beaten 
• 500gms honey 
• 500 gms sugar 
• ½ cup water 
• 2 t. of bicarb dissolved in ¼ cup vinegar 
• 1 kg flour 
• 1 t. cinnamon 
• 1 t. ground mace 
• 1 t. allspice

Method

Boil honey, sugar and water gently for ½ hour. Remove from the heat and add butter, stir well and allow to cool. When cold, add well beaten eggs and stir in soda and vinegar mixture. Sift flour and spices into a large bowl and add the liquid. Stir well, cover and leave in the fridge overnight to thicken. Roll out to ½ cm thickness and cut into decorative shapes Bake on lightly greased trays at 80*C for 12- 15 mins. Makes hard biscuits.

Back to Top

Leavened Bread (Brown Rye Bread, Rye Bread)

In Germany we have hundreds of different types of bread: wheat bread, rye bread, bread made from more than one kind of flour, bread with grains or spelt, etc. Below you find a recipe for making a brown rye bread with sour dough. Leavened bread stays fresh for quite some time because it keeps its moisture longer than unleavened bread. It contains whole wheat meal made from the entire rye kernel, which provides dietary fiber, making it a very healthy foodstuff. Leavened bread only consists of grain and water, therefore it is an easily digestible and purely natural product. For centuries leavened bread has been popular in Germany.

Ingredients, What to do,  & Tips & Tricks

Step 1:

• 300g (0.66lb) rye meal whole wheat; 
• 300g (0.66lb) rye flour; 
• 300g (0.66lb) wheat flour 

Sift the three types of flour together. Mix well. You can use home-made meal and flour, or buy it in a shop. Rye meal is made from the entire rye kernel, which is coarsely ground. It is essential to also use wheat flour, because rye flour is not "sticky" enough to hold the bread together.

Step 2:

• 1 teaspoon salt; 
• 300g (0.66lb) sour dough (leaven); 
• 3/8l (12fl oz/1½ cups) lukewarm water 

Add sour dough and salt. Knead well together all ingredients. It is very important to knead the dough by hand for at least 20 minutes. The bread becomes lighter the longer you knead the dough. The mixture should be smooth and elastic and not stick to your fingers. The exact amount of water depends on the consistency of the flour. Therefore you should carefully set to work and add water in small amounts only, as required. The amount of salt can vary, too.

Step 3: 

Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place. Let rise for at least 24 hours.

Step 4: 

Then knead the dough well together once more.

Step 5: 

Again set aside and let rise for 4 to 5 hours.

Step 6: 

Place the dough in a baking tin and bake on the middle rack in the oven. If you fill a heat-resistant receptacle with water and put it in the oven, too, it will prevent the bread from getting dry.

Step 7: 

Heat oven to 200°C (390°F) and bake for about 60 minutes. The bread is done if it sounds hollow when knocking at the bottom. The crust goes crisp if the bread is coated with some cold water just before the end of baking time.

How to store bread: Never store bread in a fridge! Bread contains water, and this water evaporates more quickly in cold temperatures (e.g. in a fridge) than at room temperatures (the ideal temperature ranges from 18-20°C (64-68°F)). Pots of stoneware are perfect receptacles for storing bread, or a bread bin. The bread bin should be pervious to air. Always store bread with the cut end placed to the bottom. Please remove old left over bread and crumbs from the bread bin or else your new bread could go moldy. A good way to prevent mold formation is to clean the bread bin every 1 or 2 weeks with a solution consisting of 9 parts of water to 1 of vinegar. After cleaning the bread bin, please do not forget to properly rub it dry. A valuable advice that has been passed on for generations!

Leavened bread tastes best with a hearty, not sweet, spread, i.e. bread and butter, or with cheese and sausage. Just the bread for the good old German "Brotzeit" (say: Brot-tsid; "ts" as in bats, "i" as in life), a good solid tea break.

Back to Top

Baeckenoffa (Beef, Pork, and Lamb Stew)

Serving Size : 6 

• 500 grams Boned shin of beef -- trimmed weight (1 lb 
• 500 grams Boned shin of pork -- trimmed weight 
• 500 grams Boned shoulder of lamb -- trimmed weight 
• 7 dl Dry white Alsace wine 
• 1 1/4 kilograms Potatoes -- peeled and sliced 
• 1/ 800 grams Leeks -- whites only, diced 
• 80 grams Goose fat -- or lard 
• 750 grams Onions -- thinly sliced 
• 1 bouquet garni -- with plenty of thyme 
• 10 Peppercorns -- crushed 
• 2 cloves Garlic -- crushed 
• 5 dl Chicken stock 
• 1 Calf's foot -- blanched and cut int 
• 2 tablespoons Flour 
• Salt 
• Freshly ground pepper

Cut each type of meat into 6 even pieces. Put them into 3 separate bowls and sprinkle generously with white wine. Cover the bowls and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Preheat the oven to 160 oC (325 oF). In a flameproof earthenware casserole, heat the goose fat over low heat, put in the onions and sweat for several minutes. Lay the leek on top of the onions, then the potatoes. Add the 'bouquet garni', peppercorns and garlic and arrange the 3 meats separately on top, one type to the left, one in the middle, one in the right. Pour over the marinade and the remaining whine. Salt lightly, add the chicken stock and lay the pieces of calf's foot on top. Put the lid on the casserole. Mix the flour with a little cold water to make a soft paste. Spread this paste between the top of the casserole and the lid to make an airtight seal. Cook in the low oven for 4 hours. 

Service: Present the casserole at the table just as is. Break the seal and lift off the lid.

Note: This a Baeckenoffa, a beef, pork and lamb stew. Originally, the country people took their dish to the baker to cook in his oven. They would arrive early in the morning, usually on the baker's closing day, when the fire had gone out, but was still warm - the perfect temperature to simmer this family dish very slowly without having to pay for the fuel.

Back to Top

Bauernfruhstuck (Farmers Breakfast)

Serving Size : 4 

• 4 Potatoes -- Medium 
• 4 Bacon; Strips -- Cubed 
• 3 Eggs -- Large 
• 3 Tb Milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt 
• 1 cup Ham; Cooked -- Small Cubes 
• 2 Tomatoes; Medium -- Peeled 
• 1 Tb Chives -- Chopped

Boil unpeeled potatoes 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water, peel and set aside to cool. Slice potatoes. In a large fry pan cook bacon until transparent. Add the potato slices; cook until lightly browned. Meanwhile blend eggs with milk and salt. Stir in the cubed ham. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges; add to the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes in the fry pan. Cook until the eggs are set. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve at once.

Back to Top

Bratkartoffel mit Gemuese (Fried potatoes with vegetables)

Serving Size : 2 

• 3 med potatoes -- boiled,peeled,sliced 
• 2 med green peppers -- seeded and chopped 
• 1/4 med onion -- sliced 
• 3 tbsp pickling cucumbers -- chopped 
• 3 tbsp cabbage -- chopped 
• 1 bunch spring onions -- chopped 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• salt -- to taste 
• pepper -- freshly ground

Fry onion with oil for 1 min. Add potatoes and fry until golden, add all the other ingredients except spring onion. When done sprinkle spring onion on top and serve.

Back to Top

Zwetschgenmus (Damson Cheese) 

Serving Size : 6

• 5 lb Plums 
• 1 c Water

Pit the damsons and mince them (or put them through the meat grinder or puree in the blender or food processor), retaining as much of the juice as possible. Add a little water to the minced damsons and the juice and slowly bring to a boil' reduce the fruit pulp over low heat for several hours, but do not stir or the damson pulp is quite likely to scorch on the bottom.

When the pulp has thickened somewhat, it will have to be stirred - continuously - for several hours, until it is literally thick enough that a spoon will stand up in it. It may sputter and bubble during this stage. (In former days, it was usual for several families to convene in the village washhouse for a cooperative 'Zwetschgenmus' cooking session, with story-telling and other impromptu entertainments to give encouragement to the stirrers.)

When the damson cheese has sufficiently thickened, transfer it to stoneware crocks and bake in the oven until a dry crust has formed on top. The damson cheese will keep better if a piece of parchment paper that has been soaked in rum is placed on top of this crust before the crock is sealed with plastic wrap (formerly a piece of linen or parchment was used). A good imported product is available on the American market under the name of 'Pflaumenmus' (pronounced Flaumenmoose).

Back to Top

Falscher Hase (False Hare (German Meatloaf)) 

4 servings

• 1/2 lb Ground Beef; Lean 
• 1 ts Paprika 
• 1/2 lb Ground Pork; Lean 
• 1 ts Mustard; Prepared 
• 1 ea Onion; Medium, Chopped 
• 2 tb Parsley; Chopped 
• 3 tb Bread Crumbs 
• 3 ea Hard Cooked Eggs; Peeled 
• 3 tb Water; Cold 
• 4 ea Bacon; Strips 
• 2 ea Eggs; Large 
• 4 tb Vegetable Oil 
• 1/2 ts Salt 
• 1 c Beef Broth

SAUCE

• 1/4 c Water; Hot 
• 1/4 c Water 
• 1 ts Cornstarch 
• 1/2 c Sour Cream

Thoroughly mix ground meats, onion, bread crumbs, 3 T cold water, and eggs. Flavor with salt, praprika, mustard, and parsley. Blend ingredients thoroughly. Flatten out meat mixture in the shape of a square, (8 X 8-inches). Arrange whole hard-boiled eggs in a row along the middle of the meat. Fold sides of meat pattie over the eggs. Shape meat carefully into a loaf resembling a flat bread loaf. Occasionally rinse hands in cold water to prevent sticking. Cube 2 strips bacon; cook in a Dutch oven about 2 minutes. Carefully add the vegetable oil; heat. Place meatloaf in the Dutch oven and cook until browned on all sides. Cut remaining bacon strips in half and arrange over the top of the meatloaf. Place uncovered Dutch oven in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. While meat is baking, gradually pour hot beef broth over the top of the meatloaf; brush occasionally with pan drippings. When done remove meat to a preheated platter and keep it warm. Add 1/4 cup of hot water to pan and scrape all particles from the bottom. Bring to a gentle boil and add cornstarch that has been mixed with 1/4 cup water. Cook until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Reheat to warm. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the sauce separately.

Back to Top

Hasenpfeffer (Spicy braised rabbit) 

4 servings

3 lb Frozen rabbit,thawed & cut 1/3 c All-purpose flour 1/2 c Finely chopped shallots 1 c Dry red wine 1 tb Instant chicken bouillon 10 Black peppercorns,crushed 1/4 ts Dried rosemary leaves,crushe 2 ts Lemon juice 2 tb Flour 1/2 ts Salt 1/2 lb Bacon,cut into 1/4" pieces 1 Clove garlic,finely chopped 1 c Water 1 tb Currant jelly 1 Small bay leaf 1/8 ts Dried thyme leaves 3 tb Water

Sprinkle rabbit with salt. Coat with 1/3 cup flour; shake off excess. Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Brown a few pieces of rabbit in hot bacon fat; remove browned pieces. Repeat with remaining rabbit. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat. Cook and stir shallots and garlic in hot fat in Dutch oven until shallots are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in wine, 1 cup water and the instant bouillon. Heat to boiling. Stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return rabbit and bacon to Dutch oven. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until rabbit is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on warm platter; keep warm while preparing gravy. Stir lemon juice into liquid in Dutch oven. Shake 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons flour in covered jar. Stir flour 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves in cheesecloth bag. stir 1 minute. (If gravy is too thick, stir in more water until of desired consistency.) Serve gravy with rabbit.

Back to Top

Karotten in Bier Gedunstet (Carrots in beer)

Serving Size : 4 

• 4 ea Carrots -- Large 
• 1 T Butter 
• 1 c Dark Beer -- Any Brand 
• 1/4 t Salt 
• 1 t Sugar

Peel and slice carrots into long, thin slices. Melt butter in medium-size fry pan; add beer and carrots. Cook slowly until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and sugar. Cook for another 2 minutes and serve hot.

Back to Top

Mohren mit Geschnetzeltern (Beef strips and carrots)

Serving Size : 4

• 1 lb Carrots 
• 2/3 c Carbonated Soda Water 
• 1 c White Wine 
• 1 t Salt 
• 1/4 t Sugar 
• 1 lb Sirloin Steak 
• 2 T Vegetable Oil 
• 2 Onions -- Small, Diced 
• 1/4 t White Pepper 
• 1/2 c Heavy Cream 
• 1 T Parsley -- Chopped

Peel carrots and cut into thin slices (crosswise at a slant). Place in a saucepan with the soda water, wine, 1/2 t salt and sugar. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile cut the meat into very thin slices. Heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onions about 5 minutes. Add the beef slices; cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Add the meat and onions to the carrots. Mix carefully. Stir in the cream. Heat through but DO NOT boil. Correct seasonings if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Back to Top

Plunder Flechten

1 servings

1/3 Plunderteig Recipe

• Egg; beaten 
• 1/2 c Candied fruit; diced, - floured rolled in Cinnamon sugar 
• Apricot preserves

Prepare recipe of Plunderteig and chill. Cut off a third of the chilled dough and roll it out 1/4" thick. Brush the dough with beaten egg. Cover it with the floured candied fruit and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Fold the dough in half and roll it out 1/2" thick. Cut the filled dough in 3/4 X 8" strips. Slit the strips down the center with a pastry wheel, leaving an inch uncut at each end, and twist the strips into various designs of single or double rounds. Arrange the twists on a buttered baking sheet, brush them with beaten egg, let them rise, covered, in a warm place until they double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake in a moderate oven, 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until they are golden. Brush the hot twists with apricot preserves.

Back to Top

Plunderteig

Makes about 3 pounds

“The technique for this dough, used primarily for ‘Danish’ pastries, is similar to the one required by puff pastry, which is also created from layering butter with dough. Temperature is important: Only after the dough is cut out does it stand in a warm place for its final rise. The same basics about puff pastry apply to this dough:

If the dough softens in a hot kitchen, refrigerate it until it is cool and form enough to work with.

For proper layering of butter and dough, they must be near the same cool temperature. The optimum temperature for the mixture is 60°F. (thanks to Bernard Clayton, who identified the proper temperature in his ‘New Complete Book of Breads’), If too warm, the butter will soak into the dough; if too cold, it will break through. The 60°F. butter temperature is easy to attain in a cool kitchen by working the butter in a bowl with our knuckles. Don’t use your palms too much as they are warmer and could melt the butter.

If any butter does peek through the dough during rolling, generously sprinkle the offending spot with flour to seal it, then proceed.

Keep the dough as evenly shaped as possible, stretching the corners as needed to keep them at right angles.

Brush off excess flour from the top of the dough before rolling the layers; too much flour will toughen the pastry.

Even when the recipe calls for a half-batch of dough, make the full recipe and freeze the remainder. It is difficult to make puff pastry [or Plunderteig] with amounts smaller than recommended here.

Sponge

• 1 1/2 ounces (3/4 cube) compressed yeast or 4 1/2 teaspoons (2 envelopes) active dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup milk (heated to 105° to 115° F. if using dry yeast) 
• 1/2 cup unbleached flour 
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Dough 

• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 
• 3 large egg yolks 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 2/3 cups unbleached flour, as needed

Butter Mixture 

• 1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
• 1/4 cup unbleached flour

1. To make the sponge: Crumble the compressed yeast over the milk (or sprinkle in the dry) in a small bowl. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk to dissolve. Add the flour and sugar and whisk for 100 strokes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. 
2. To make the dough: Whisk the milk, confectioners’ sugar, melted butter, yolks, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer. Add the sponge. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle blade. On low speed, gradually add enough flour to make a very sticky dough that cleans the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch square. Wrap loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
3. To make the butter mixture: Combine the butter and flour in a medium bowl and use your knuckles to work them together until the butter is smooth and malleable, but still cool. (An instant-read thermometer will read 60°F.) Scrape onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap loosely in plastic. Using a rolling pin as an aide, roll and shape into a 6-inch square. If the temperature isn’t 60°F., refrigerate or let stand at room temperature until it reaches that point. 
4. On a lightly floured work surface, rollout the dough to a 10-inch square. Unwrap the butter square and place in the center of the dough, with the corners of the butter square pointing north, south, east, and west. Using the back of a knife, lightly make the perimeter of the butter square on the dough, and remove the butter square. Using a rolling pin, roll out the [corners of the] dough from each mark to make four 4-inch-long “petals”. Replace the butter square in the center of the dough. Brushing off the flour as you work, fold each petal over to enclose the dough. 
5. Dust the work surface and the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough into a 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Brush off the flour on the dough. As if folding a business letter, stretching the corners of the dough as well as possible to kept them at right angles, fold the top third of the dough down, then the bottom third of the dough up, making a three-layer rectangle about 4 1/2 x 7 inches. This is called a single turn. Reposition the dough so that the open side faces left. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and roll again into a 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Brush off the flour. Fold the top quarter of the dough down, then the bottom quarter of the dough up to meet the center. Fold the dough in half at the center crease to make a four-layer rectangle about 3 1/2 x 7 inches. This is called a double turn. Flatten the dough slightly by tapping it with the rolling pin lengthwise and crosswise. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
6. Unwrap the dough and return it to a lightly floured work surface. Repeat step five, giving the dough another single turn, then another double turn. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Make Ahead The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. While the unbaked dough can be frozen, some of the yeast could die during the freezing process. It is best to bake the leftover dough within a day or two, and freeze the extra baked goods instead.

Back to Top