German Coffee Bread Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED GERMAN COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• For cake, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in water. Let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine shortening, sugar and egg. Gradually mix in 2 cups flour, milk and yeast mixture. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide in half and press each half into a greased 11x7-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Combine all topping ingredients except peaches. Sprinkle over dough. Top with peach slices. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

THE BEST HOMEMADE COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Get all of the ingredients out and easily available
• Scald the Milk. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. You want the milk to have a film on top. For the microwave: Put the milk in for 2 minutes for 1 cup or 3 minutes for 2 cups. For the stovetop: Stir the milk and then let it sit. Eventually a film will develop. Do this on medium heat. PRO TIP: If you blow on the milk, you will be able see a film when the milk has scalded.
• Mix warm water with the yeast. The water needs to be warm (but not hot!) in order to activate the yeast. Stir in the yeast. If the water is hot, it will kill the yeast which will make the bread fail to rise. PRO TIP: Add a pinch of sugar if the yeast is not activating within the first two minutes. The extra sugar will allow the yeast to activate. If this does not work, likely the water was too hot or too cold, and it would be best to do this step over again.
• Mix sugar, salt, scalded milk, and Crisco (or butter) to create a batter.
• Add a cup or two of flour until you have a thick batter. You only add enough flour to make the batter thick typically no more than 2 of the 5 cups of the flour.
• Beat the two eggs together in a separate container.
• Add the yeast in water mixture and beaten eggs into the thick batter.
• Add the remainder of your flour slowly. (Subtract the number of cups you added previously from 5 to get the number to add here). Add cup by cup. By the last cup, you may want to put some flour on the countertop and put the batter on top; then, you can need the last cup of flour into the dough.
• Knead until smooth and holds a ball shape. (However, do not knead past this point, this may cause the dough to fail to rise).
• Grease the edges of a large bowl with butter. Then, place the dough in the bowl and lightly coat the dough with butter.
• Allow the dough to rise until it has roughly doubled in size. Cover the bowl with a towel. This should take an hour to an hour and a half. PRO TIP: If you do not have a proofing setting on your oven, turn the oven on low and put your bowl with dough on top of the oven - NOT IN IT! The warmth coming from the empty oven will come up as hot air rises and create a warmer environment around the oven for your dough to raise. Bonus: This image is after the dough has been pushed down slightly. It will raise to be larger than this.
• Then punch the dough to get the air out. Take the dough and divide it into two large pans or three circular pans.
• Spread the dough so that it covers the entire pan. Cover it with a towel and allow it to rise (proof) a second time. Again this should be about an hour to an hour and a half.
• Melt some butter. Take sugar and add cinnamon until you get a darker mixture, cinnamon sugar.
• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• Take the melted butter and brush it onto the newly risen dough. Then, liberally sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.
• Open up on of the containers of sweetened condensed milk. Using the back of the spoon create a divet and fill it with sweetened condensed milk. Do this across the dough. PRO TIP: You can never have too many sweetened condensed milk holes!
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. PRO TIP: If you put the pan to close to the top of the oven, it will brulee the cinnamon sugar. You do not want this to happen, so it is best if you bake the pans on the bottom rack of the oven. PRO TIP: You do not want to overbake. If the bread looks done, take it out!! Overcooked coffee cake is much worse than underdone coffee cake. If it is underdone, you can always put it back in.
• ENJOY!! Eat the coffee cake with friends, family, share a pan with a neighbor, or eat the entire thing by itself straight out of the oven. PRO TIP: It is best right out of the oven!

GERMAN COFFEE BREAD

Steps:

• In mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes.
• Add sugar and salt and about half the flour.
• Beat thoroughly 2 minutes.
• Add egg and shortening. Beat in rest of flour gradually until smooth.
• Drop small spoonfuls over entire bottom of 9 inch greased pan.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile Combine the streusel ingredients and sprinkle over the bread before cooking.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes.
• Immediately turn out of pan to avoid sticking. Serve warm.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN BREAD (BAUERNBROT)

Steps:

• First, make the sourdough starter. Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Whisk in 1 quart of warm water and 2 tablespoons of sugar until dissolved. The water should be just slightly warmer than body temperature. Gradually whisk in 4 cups of flour, continuing to mix until all lumps are gone. Cover with a dish towel, and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature.
• After 24 hours, stir well, cover, and let stand another 24 hours. It will be a thin, light-colored sourdough which is then ready to use.
• In a large bowl, stir together the rye flour, remaining 4 cups of all-purpose flour, salt and sugar. Mix in the sourdough starter using a wooden spoon, then stir in 2 cups of warm water. I transfer the dough to a heavy-duty stand mixer to mix the first couple of minutes, then it can't handle the heavy dough and I start using my hands by turning the dough out onto a floured surface. A clean countertop works best. Knead the dough, adding a few tablespoons of water at a time if it is too stiff. Fold the dough over, pull it apart, whatever you can do to get it kneaded up good. Total kneading time should be 15 to 20 minutes to get a smooth dough. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• When the dough has risen, scrape it out of the bowl and back onto a floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes. This is important to activate the gluten. Shape into 1 or 2 long loaves. Place on baking sheets, and let rise for about 1 hour, or until your finger leaves an impression when you poke the bread gently.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Bake the bread for about 45 minutes for 2 loaves, 1 1/2 hours if you made one big loaf. Don't worry if the crust is dark. The bread will be delicious and so will the crust. Cool completely before cutting. I always freeze half.

GERMAN KUCHEN

Steps:

• 1. Dough- Scald milk and add butter, sugar, and salt. Dissolve yeast in warm water in seperate bowl and then add to milk mixture. Beat in eggs and then flour. Cover and let rise until doubled. About an hour. Punch down and divide into 5 pieces. Roll out into desired shape and let rise 30 minutes. Then choose your topping. I used a 9" round cake pan for mine.
• 2. Cinnamon Topping: Use a pastry blender to mix butter and brown sugar and flour. Add cinnamon and sprinkle over dough after it rises the second time. Dot with Butter if desired. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
• 3. Cherry Topping: Heat can of dark cherry pie filling and spread on crust after it rises second time. Bake for 20 minutes at 375.
• 4. Cheese Topping; Mix cottage cheese, egg and sugar in blender intil creamy. Heat slowly until warm on stove. Pour on dough after rises second time. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
• 5. Butter Topping: Beat together sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly beat in oil. Add oil too fast and it will curdle. Heat on top of stove until hot and pour on crust after second rising. Bake 25 minutes at 375.
• 6. Apple Topping: Peel and slice thinly 3 apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and nutmeg to taste. Roll this dough out in a rectangle. Fill the center with apples and dot with butter. Bake 20 minutes at 375.

GERMAN COFFEE RING

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter, sugar and add eggs, vanilla. Add rest of ingredients. Put 1/2 of the batter into greased bundt pan, add 1/2 of the topping mixture, then add rest of batter. Put rest of topping mixture on .
• 2. Bake 350 degrees for 45 min.

KUGA -- GERMAN BREAKFAST BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in lukewarm water.
• In a separate bowl, combine milk with sugar, butter and salt; let cool to lukewarm and add 2 cups of flour to make a batter.
• Add yeast mixture and eggs; beat well.
• Add remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough.
• Knead well, cover and let rise till doubled in bulk, about 2 hours (depending upon the temperature in the kitchen).
• Punch down and let rise again until doubled in volume.
• This will make 3 portions for 9" x 12" pans or 6 portions for 9" round pans.
• Divide into desired portions, roll out evenly and spread into greased pans.
• Mix topping ingredients together and spread 1/3 on each cake; place fruit on top.
• Mix rivels ingredients together.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumbs on each cake.
• Let it rise again in the pan.
• While rising, preheat oven to 375°F
• Bake until golden brown; serve either warm or cool.