A Kipfel is traditionally a crescent-shaped yeast bread, one of the oldest styles of pastries.
Ann and the kids visited Oma to make these for a school project that Jayda was doing on family heritage, measuring everything from memory. This is an approximation of her method.
Dough
- 1 L homogenized milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup sugar, for the yeast
- 2 packages (4½ tsp, 14 g) yeast
- About 8 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Scald the milk and butter over high heat, stirring and watching carefully so it doesn’t burn. Turn off the heat and let cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
Take out ½ cup of the lukewarm milk, stir in the ¼ cup sugar and the yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Mix the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the rest of the milk mixture, the yeast mixture, the eggs, and the oil. Mix thoroughly by hand, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth and soft.
Oil your hands and work the dough for 10 minutes, punching and turning.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with damp tea towels, and set in a warm spot (the oven, turned off, works on a cold day). Let rise until doubled.
Kipfels
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
- Coarse salt
- About ¼ cup caraway seeds
Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Roll a small chunk of dough into a circle and cut it into quarters, like pizza slices. Roll each slice up from the wide end and bend it into a crescent. Brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse salt and caraway seeds.
Set the kipfels on a sheet pan, cover with a tea towel, and let rise 15–20 minutes. Bake until nicely browned, about 17 minutes.