I ♥ APPLES (& You)

Guys, guys, guys oh what a great weekend! 

I went skiing in Schladming: wonderful weather, cool slopes, best company ever ♥

It has been the nicest way too end the skiing season.

When I go skiing I love to eat Austrian Apfelstrudel with hot vanilla sauce. I am quite sure most of you know waht I am talking about and have succesfully baked apple strudel at home. I also do it quite oftenly; my dad taught me how to bake it since he loves it but is too lazy to peel the apples. What I learned from him is the traditional recipe, but the one I am showing you today is a new version, an idea I had...

a sweet bread braid hugging apples!

It's a yeast based dough - the same you use to make bread or sweet bread- with sugar and a little butter, but no eggs, which embraces a heart of apples, cinnamon and raisins (if you like them).

It's really good and fluffy and something different from the usual Apfelstrudel.

Enjoy ♥

Martina

Rapunzel

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair.

 Today I'm sharing with you one of my favourite recipes: the Austrian sweet bread braid or "Riesenstriezel". It's very easy and quick to do and it always tastes delicious!

Ingredients:

500 gr. flour (wheat, rye or spelt = Weizen, Roggen oder Dinkel)

300 ml. warm water or milk

30 gr. yeast

50 gr. butter

100 gr. sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

chocolate chips

1 egg

Procedure:

In a bowl melt the yeast with the warm water and mix to it the sugar.

In your mixer put the flour, salt, butter, and using the hook start mixing. Then add the water-yeast-sugar mixture and keep on mixing all the ingrediendts. If it looks too liquid add more flour, on the other hand if it looks too dry add water. 

Once you have a soft and elastic dough put it in a floury bowl and cover it with a dishcloth. Let it rise for at least one hour. When the dough has doubled its size add the chocolate chips.

Take an oven dish with baking paper and start forming your braid: divide the dough in three parts and form three rolls you will braid and join at both ends. Brush it with the egg.

Put the braid in the oven at 180° C for about 20 minutes, it will be ready as soon as you see a nice golden crust.

Serving & eating suggestion:

Let the braid cool down before serving. Decorate your braid with some chocolate chips (eg. hearts). Eat it spread with some Nutella cream and drink a hot chocolate :-P

Enjoy ♥

Martina