German Pudding Pastry

german pudding pastry

Pastries are very popular in Germany and you can find them in almost any German bakery. The German pudding pastry is made from a yeast dough and is filled with vanilla pudding and topped with a sugar glaze, which is optional. The recipe is quite simple, enjoy and Happy Baking!

Ingredients German Pudding Pastry

YEAST DOUGH
550 g Mehl
40 g yeast or dry yeast for the amount of flour
220 ml milk
100 g  sugar
100 g butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt

FILLING 
500 ml milk
1 tbsp sugar or to taste
1 package vanilla pudding – Find it here –
100 g sour cream or Crème fraîche

Baking Instructions German Pudding Pastry

– Combine yeast with 1 tsp and 1 tbsp water, mix well until yeast has dissolved.
– Place flour into a bowl or on a wooden baking board, add all other ingredients and the yeast starter. Knead with a mixer or with hands until you get a smooth dough.
– Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise for 20 – 30 min. Dough volume should double.
– Make the pudding per instructions.
– Let cool off, stir frequently while it’s cooling off, then add the sour cream or creme fraiche. Mix with a spatula.

– On a flour sprinkled surface roll the dough to a rectangle, it should be 1cm thick (half an inch).
– Place the pudding cream onto the dough.
– If you like you can add additionally chopped apples, raisins soaked in rum or apple juice, chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, marzipan pieces, blue berries etc., on top.

– Roll the dough starting from the longer side.
– Cut into 2 cm thick slices (1 inch).
– Layer a baking tray with parchment paper.
– Place the slices on a baking tray, let them rise for another 20-30 min.
– Preheat oven to 200 c or 390 F.
– Bake the pastries for 15-20 min until they show a golden brownish color.
– Let cool off and dust them with powdered sugar or with a sugar glaze.


Make the Sugar Glaze

120 g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp milk

If you like to add this glaze the pastries have to be still warm.
Mix all ingredients and brush the glaze evenly over the pastries.
Wait until the glaze is solid, then enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea!


The German Breakfast Box makes a Great Gift!

german breakfast box

Authentic German Goulash Recipe with Paprika

german goulash recipe

This is an original German Goulash recipe or paprika beef stew with red pepper and mushrooms (in German Gulasch or Rindsgulasch). It is one of the best goulash variations and I got the recipe from my sister-in-law from Germany. It is an authentic German recipe, proven and easy to make. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Goulash Recipe

(serves 4)
500 g beef stew
2 medium size onions
2 red peppers
250 g mushrooms, white
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp Tomato paste
salt, pepper, to taste
2 tsp mild red paprika or use the EDORA Goulash seasoning – see below
edora seasoning goulash


Cooking Instructions German Goulash

– Heat oil in a skillet; fry meat briskly bit by bit (don’t use it all at once); when all meat is browned take off the skillet.
– Chop onions finely, saute until transparent in the same skillet.
– Cut red pepper in fine stripes, add to onions and saute for some minutes.
– Add meat, spice with salt, pepper and mild red paprika powder or Edora seasoning.
– Add 2-3 tbsp tomato paste, fill up with some water (1/2 cup or less; should not be too thin).
– Reduce heat and let simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours until meat is tender (depends on the meat).
– 10 minutes before the end of cooking time add the sliced mushrooms.

Serve with your favorite pasta, dumplings or rice.

bechtle german spatzle


 

Insects instead of a delicious Beef Stew? Imagine this! Dr Berg talks about this very strange Idea

Bremer Klaben Cake – Specialty from the North

bremer klaben cake

The Bremer Klaben Cake has some history! As other dishes from the North this cake was made for the sailors when they were at see for a long time. It has a long shelf life because of its high butter and sugar amount. Nowadays the Klaben is a typical holiday cake. It contains raisins and candied fruit. Happy Baking!

Ingredients Bremer Klaben Cake

Dried Fruit Mix 
700g raisins (soak them for 1 week in brown rum)
100g candied lemon peel (Zitronat)
100g candied orange peel (Orangeat)
– How to Make Candied Peel – 
brown rum 54%, for soaking raisins, or to taste, alternatively apple juice with some rum flavor

Starter Dough (let raise for 30 min):
150ml whole milk
150g flour, preferably Weizenmehl 550 Type – All About German Flour
60g fresh yeast – amount of dried yeast as instructed

Main Dough (let raise 30 min):
450g flour, pref. 550 Type
300g butter
1 vanilla bean
zest of 1 organic lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cardamom
100g sugar
150g chopped almonds
fruit mix as described above
1 egg

Flour-Water Mix 
20g flour
20g water

Baking Instructions following the Video

All ingredients should have room temperature.
Pour milk into a bowl, add yeast and milk. Mix well until you get a smooth starter dough. Use a mixer, there’s no kneading needed.
Cover the bowl and let raise for 30 min. This dough is ready when you see some small bubbles.

With a sharp knife cut the vanilla bean open. Scratch off the seeds and add to the butter that is cut into smaller pieces.
Grate the lemon, add  to the starter dough. Add sugar, cardamom, butter and flour.
Knead until you get a smooth dough. During kneading add the salt.
The dough is done when it comes off easily from the edges of the bowl.
Let raise for 30 min.

Chop the candied orange and lemon if needed very fine. Combine with raisins and mix well.
Add the almonds and fruit mix to the dough and knead until everything is nicely combined,
Form the dough into a loaf.
Place into a greased deep baking form such as a lasagna form. Fill the form completely with the dough by pressing it towards the edges. In the video he is using a Springform Baking Tin size 28 x 18 x8 cm or 12x9x4 inches,  that also has a lid.

You can find such spring forms on Amazon.

Mix the water with flour until it’s a sticky mix. Brush this mix on top of the Klaben.
Pre-heat oven to 220 C or 430 F.
Place cake on lowest level and reduce heat to 170 C or 340 F.
Bake for 60 min.
Beat the egg in a bowl and brush it over the hot cake.
Let sit over night.

Wrap in aluminum foil and place at a cold location such as basement, cellar, just the coldest place you can think of. It must sit for 4-6 weeks. After that time period enjoy a piece of this historic sailor’s cake!

Video – in German – for Making the Klaben


Original Zenker Form that was used for the Klaben Cake – Find it here – 

Toast Hawaii – Best German Snack

If you had been to Germany yo might have seen this classic German snack Toast Hawaii in menus in country inns. It’s such a delicious small meal that is very easy to make and it doesn’t need special ingredients. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Toast Hawaii

4 Servings
For each serving you need ONE
sliced pine apple, can, preferably unsweetened
slice of toast bread, wheat (in Germany we would use the Golden Toast)
RECIPE: How to Make German Golden Toast Bread –

enough butter to spread on each slice
boiled ham, sliced
sliced cheese such as Swiss Cheese
if you like decorate with cherries or lingonberry jam
mayonnaise, optional

Cooking Instructions

– Pre-Heat oven to 375 F (180 C).
– Spread butter evenly on each slice of toast.
Optional:
spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on top.
– Drain pineapples, let drip in a sieve.
– Place on top the ham, followed by the pineapple and at last a slice of cheese.
– Use parchment paper on the oven rack and place the toast directly onto the paper.
– In a few minutes the cheese will melt and it will get brown.
– When you see that the cheese has melted into the pine apple opening and gets brown, you should remove the toast right away. It will be after about 6 minutes.
– Let cool off a bit before you enjoy this delicious snack.

Makes a Great Gift: The German Snack Box – Buy Here – 

german snack box

5 Best Bakeries in Vienna, Austria

Are you planning a trip to Vienna, the capital of Austria? If so you have to make sure to visit the local bakeries because you will not get anything comparable in America. The bakery products are outstanding and are based on traditional recipes and baking methods. Of course there is the famous Sacher Cake that you shouldn’t miss neither but this one is featured in this article – Visit the Sacher Torte Article – 

Bakery Ströck

They are baking bread for more than 50 years, founded by Johann Ströck who started it 1922 as a very small bakery. Nowadays they operate multiple locations throughout Vienna, and they are the biggest bakery company in Austria.
—>Visit their Website<—


Ideenbäckerei Geier

This bakery is been run by the family Geier, now in the 4th generation, since 1902. Their specialties include the “Fein Backwaren” –  “Krapfen” (Berliner)  and the “Topfengolatsche”, pastry or “plunder” filled with quark. Visit them when you do a trip to Vienna, there are multiple locations. Choose from the Kaffeehaus, open on Sundays or with a garden.
—>Visit their Website<—
krapfen


Joseph Brot

This bakery offers healthy breakfasts and breads since 2009, founded by Joseph Weghaupt. The bakery has become famous for their vegan and organic (Bio) specialties. So if you are visiting Vienna check out this place for a wholesome breakfast (there are multiple locations). —>Visit their website<—
austria bakery


Bäcker Joseph Schrott

A famous and traditional Bäckerei & Konditorei located in west Vienna, that was founded in 1885 and has now has at least 5 locations. Try their Nusskipferl… it’s made after a traditional family recipe. —>Visit their FB Page<—


Bäckerei Arthur Grimm


This historic neighborhood bakery is around since 1536. That’s more than 500 years. This is amazing! Their Salzstangerl are authentic and supposed to be the best ones in Vienna. —> Visit their website <—
austria bakery

German Beef Stew with Veggies

german beef stew with veggies

Are you looking for an easy to make meat dish? The German Beef Stew with Veggies falls into this category, no special ingredients are needed, it’s very wholesome and makes a great family dinner. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Beef Stew w Veggies

2 lbs beef stew meat
2 tbsp clarified butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika, mild or spicy, depending on your taste
2 tsp flour and 2 tsp tomato paste
4 medium onions
1 cup red wine and 1 cup beef broth
– How to make Beef Broth –
2 bay leaves
4 carrots
5 medium potatoes
1 green, yellow, red or orange pepper
5 ripe tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes

Cooking Instructions

–  Cut beef into smaller cubes, if not already cut.
– Melt butter, brown chopped onions with beef for about 5 minutes on high heat.
beef stew
– Spice to taste with salt, pepper and paprika, dust with flour.
– Blend all seasonings with a cooking spoon, then add the tomato paste. Mix well.
– Sauté for 5 minutes.
– Deglaze by adding red wine, broth and bay leaves.
– Let simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.
– Peel potatoes, cut into smaller cubes, carrots and pepper as well.
– Add all vegetables to the stew, cover and let simmer for 10 more minutes. Cooking time depends on the meat quality, the meat should be very tender at the end of the cooking time.
– If you use fresh tomatoes briefly submerge them in boiling water, then peel,  cut into quarters and add to the stew, same with canned tomatoes.
– Mix well and let simmer until flavors have combined well, this could be for 10-15 minutes.

Serve the stew with your favorite pasta or rice.


Good Source for German Style Meats Sausages

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German Green Beans with Bacon

german green beans with bacon

Learn today how to make German Green Beans with Bacon, nicely wrapped. It’s a delicious side dish for any menu. The recipe is using summer savory (Bohnenkraut) which is an herb that came to Germany in the 9th century,  brought by monks to grow in their monastery gardens.

Summer savory is used in combination with vegetable like beans, lentils, dried peas and helps with the digestion, diminishing unpleasant side effects. Find it fresh on a farmers market, or get the seeds. It is not quite a common American herb, and it might be a bit difficult to find it. Using dry summer savory can be the alternative.

Green beans are very nutritious. They are low in Sodium, and very low in saturated Fat and cholesterol. Green beans make also a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese. As you can see this green vegetable is very nutritious. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Green Beans with Bacon

800 g fresh green beans
10 branches summer savory (Bohnenkraut), fresh – optional
1 garlic clove (optional)
1 tsp black pepper corns
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oil
8 slices bacon (Speck) or German ham, alternatively Prosciutto
1 tbsp butter
water to cook the beans, 1 dash salt


EDORA SEASONINGS ADD the SPECIAL TASTE

german seasonings

Cooking Instructions

– Wash beans and remove ends.
– Peel garlic clove, smash peppercorns.
Place oil in  a pan, roast whole garlic clove, pepper corns, salt and summer savory briefly in oil.
– Add water, let cook for 10 min, drain.
– Separate beans in 3 portions. In this broth bring each green bean portion to a boil and let cook until soft (not too soft, they should be al dente)
– Dip beans fast in ice cold water (ice cubes and some water) to let them cool off, place on kitchen cloth and dry them.
– Wrap about 8-10 beans in 1 slice of bacon. If you use German ham or Prosciutto don’t pan fry.
– Heat butter in fire proof form (iron cast), place wrapped beans in form, cover with lid. You also can use a regular skillet and fry the beans until bacon is crunchy.
Important is to place the wrapped beans with the bacon seam facing the bottom and not facing the top. You can use tooth picks to hold the wrap together.
– Bake for 5 min on 360 F
– Turn them one time.

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SERVING OPTIONS
Side dish for pork chops, pork or beef roast
With Fried Potatoes or Potato Salad
Roesti
Filet Mignon
Steaks

steak with green beans wrapped with bacon


Good Source for German Style Meats Sausages

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German Lentil Soup – Authentic Recipe

german lentil soup

The German lentil soup is a classic among all German soups. We tried out several options: Using lentils from a can and dried ones. We came to the conclusion: Dried lentils are the best. You can reduce the cooking time when soaking them the evening before in water, and let them sit over night. Just just need to boil them the other day in the same water.

In Germany these recipes such as Lentil Soup or Split Pea Soup are called “Eintopf” which means literally “One pot”.  The fact that all ingredients are cooking in one pot at the same time, makes cooking easy. Just stir frequently and, if you use sausages, add the sausages five minutes before the soup is ready. It is also easy to make a vegetarian dish by not using the bacon and sausages. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Lentil Soup

(serves 4)
2 cups dry green or brown lentils
1-2 medium sized potatoes
1 medium sized onion
1-2 carrots
2 thin slices of German Speck (Bacon or smoked ham)
1/4 celery root
2 celery stalks
1-2 tsp sunflower or safflower oil
Purified or spring water as needed
2 tsp mustard, preferably German
Thyme and/or marjoram to taste
2 bay leaves
Salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
2-4 tbsp White Wine Vinegar (or to taste)
4 Wiener or Frankfurter Sausages


german delicatessen box


Cooking Instructions German Lentil Soup

– Wash dried lentils, then soak them in water the day before. They should be covered with water. Let sit covered over night.
– Peel potatoes and cut them into small cubes.
– Cut celery root, stalks and carrot in small pieces.
– Chop onion, cut ham in small cubes.
– In a medium to big sized pot heat oil, add onions and saute for 1 minute.
– Use lentils with the soaking water, add to onions. Fill up with water if you don’t have enough (lentils soak up the water, so you need to add some, lentils should always be covered with water).
– Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Add some more water if needed.

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– Bring to a boil, let simmer (covered with a lid) on low heat for about 1 hour until lentils are very soft. Do the test, if they are not soft, let them cook longer.
– While the soup is cooking, add mustard, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
– Stir frequently so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add some water if the soup gets too thick.

– 10 minutes before the soup is ready add the sausages to warm them in the soup. Of course you could boil them separately but the typical way is to cook them in the soup.
– If you want cut the sausages into pieces, and add them to the soup until they are cooked.
– Add parsley before serving.Serve the lentil soup with fresh farmers bread and butter. In Southern Germany the soup is combined with the Southern pasta specialty “Spaetzle”. In this case you would cook the Spaetzle separately and serve them with the soup.


– Recipe for Lentil Stew and Spaetzle –

lentil stew


TIPS

  • For a vegetarian version: Instead of using ham and sausages just cook lentils with the vegetable.
  • Add some tomato paste.
  • Instead of oil use lard.
  • Add vinegar before serving or use it as needed at the table. Helps to better digest the lentils.
  • If you don’t soak the lentils the day before the cooking time will be on low heat (simmering) up to 3 hours.

Good Source for German Style Sausages & Meats

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