Viennese Kugelhopf Easter Bread #I

Place the raisins and candied orange peel in a small bowl, and stir in the 2 tablespoons of Meyers rum. Microwave for 30 seconds to rehydrate, or place in a pot and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. This will allow the raisins and orange peel to absorb much of the rum.

As this yeast dough is very soft and sticky it is best made using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Place 1/4 cup of the bread flour into the bowl of your mixer and add the packet of dry active yeast. Heat the 1/2 cup of water to between 90 and 100 degrees. Pour over the flour/yeast mixture, stir to combine. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and set in a warm spot.

Depending on the temperature, the yeast/flour mixture should start to bubble in 10 to 20 minutes. When it has reached this stage, you can start adding the rest of the ingredients.

Add the remaining flour, along with the sugar, the salt and the warm milk (should be heated to between 90 and 100 degrees). With the dough hook attached, turn the mixer on to medium low speed and mix for 5 minutes.

Your 3 eggs should also be at least at room temperature, if not a bit warmer. Setting them in a bowl of warm tap water for 10 minutes works very well. With the mixer on low speed add the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate each before adding the next. When the last egg has been added, continue to mix for another 2 minutes.

Add the rehydrated raisins, orange peel, and any remaining liquid along with the toasted almonds. Mix until they look evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Now you are going to add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. If you have ever made Brioche, this part is very similar. It is important that the butter be soft but not melted. You should be able to press it with you fingers and leave a mark, but should not melt. The temperature of the butter at this stage is about 74 degrees. With the mixer on low add a tablespoon, and mix until it has been absorbed. Sometimes the butter will stick to the sides of your mixing bowl, simply stop the mixer, scrape it off the sides in to the center. Continue until all the butter has been added.

With the mixer on low speed, mix another 5 minutes. Scrape the dough into a bowl large enough to hold it once it has doubled. It is sticky, but if you dust the bowl scraper with a bit of flour, you should not have trouble. Moistening your fingers can also help to get all the dough out of the mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot. It should double in size in 1 to 2 hours, again, depending on the temperature. Once it has doubled, gently punch it down a bit, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator over night.

The following day (it can be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours if necessary) remove from the refrigerator, and place the dough in Kugelhopf or Bundt pans. This is enough dough to make one large ( 5 to 6 cups) and one smaller pan, or 3 to four smaller ones. Just remember, when baked it will more than double in size, so choose your pan size with that in mind. When the dough is cold, it is much easier to handle, and you should have no trouble molding it evenly to fit the pan. If it does become a bit sticky, simply moisten your fingers, as this helps the dough from sticking. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise. As the dough is cold, this second rise will take between 2 to 3 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on the center rack of a preheated 350 degree oven for Convection and 375 degrees for Standard. Set the timer for 15 minutes, and then decrease the temperature by 25 degrees.

If the top of the bread is getting too brown before it's finished baking, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. It should be baked in 55 to 65 minutes, or check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 180 and 190 degrees F (between 82 - 87 degrees C) when baked.

Remove from the oven. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife carefully around the rim and center tube to loosen, and invert over the cooling rack. It should come out easily. Allow to cool completely before slicing. If desired, you can dust the top with powdered sugar, a drizzle of glaze or just leave it plain.