Mohnschnecken

If you like bakery using poppy seed filling, you will like this too. The word by word translation of Mohnschnecken would be 'Poppy seed snails', but I guess a more descriptive translation like 'German poppy seed swirl sticky buns' might be more helpful. They are quit easy to make. Bring together a yeast dough and a poppy seed filling and there you are.


© All rights reserved, Thorsten Kraska, 2009


Ingredients:
Dough
500g all-purpose flour (and flour for working)
40g fresh baker yeast (or dry-yeast for 500g flour)
300mL lukewarm milk
150g Sugar
120g unsalted butter
1 pinch salt

Poppy Seed Filling
175g poppy seed (grounded)
60mL milk
25g unsalted butter
100g sugar
2 eggs

Glaze
powder sugar
water


Directions:

1. Sieve flour into a large bowl and make a well into the middle.
2. Crumble yeast into the well and add 2 teaspoons of the sugar and 4 tablespoons of the milk to it. Mix gently with a fork, adding just a little from the flour, to build the sponge. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes in a warm place.
3. Add the rest of the sugar and milk, the very soft butter, eggs, and salt. Mix.
4. Knead the dough with hands for about 5 to 10 minutes. Use some additional flour, if the dough is too sticky. The dough is ready, if the consistency is elastic and bubbles occur while kneading. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in volume.
5. Meanwhile mix all ingredients for the filling to make a poppy seed paste.
6. Knead the dough again and roll it out to a size of about 40 x 50 cm.
7. Spread the filling on dough and roll to make the swirl. Cut the roll into slices (about 2 cm thick).
8. Place the swirls on the baking tray, but leave enough space between the swirls. Let stand for another 20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile preheat oven (200 C)
10. Bake swirls for about 10-15 minutes until done. They should be slightly browned.
11. Let cool poppy seed swirls completely on a cooling rack.
12. To about 100g powder sugar add enough water to make a glaze that you can spread over the swirls (add one tablespoon of water, mix, control consistency). Let dry the glaze. Store Mohnschnecken in a dry place.

German Cheese Cake

If there is some food I'm really addicted to, then it is German Cheese Cake. There is nothing better than a true classical German Cheese Cake. And it has to be made with Quark.


© All rights reserved, Thorsten Kraska, 2009

Ingredients:
120 g butter (unsalted, soft)
300 g sugar
4 eggs (medium sized)
1 kg Magerquark (squeezed)
1 package Vanilla Pudding (for 500 mL milk)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 dash salt

Servings:
12 wedges
1 springform (26 cm in diameter)

Notes:
You need squeezed Quark. The Quark you can buy is too moist. Put Quark into a suited cloth and squeeze as much fluid out of Quark as possible. To get 1kg Magerquark you will need about 1.25 Magerquark. For this recipe you will need Magerquark, which has a fat content of less than 10% in dry mass.

Directions:
Preheat oven (175 C). Grease baking form or line it up with baking paper.

Mix butter and sugar at high speed until foamy. Add one egg and mix for about 1 minute. Repeat with other three eggs. Add other ingredients and mix until well blended.

Put dough into spring form and bake for 15 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

After 10 minutes put it back in the oven and bake for another 60 to 70 minutes or until done. When cake gets too dark cover it with aluminum foil.

Let cake cool in form for about 15 minutes. Then take it out of form and let it cool completely.

Before serving you can dust it with powdered sugar.