Haeffekrunz Hay Fa Kruns Recipes

Steps:

• Break the eggs into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add cooled milk to equal 2 cups liquid. Beat in the sugar, yeast and 3 cups of the flour. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• Stir in the salt, butter, lemon zest, raisins and 2 cups flour. Stir until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out of the bowl and knead,using the last cup of flour if needed, to make a smooth , elastic dough. (You can do the whole process in a stand mixer, too!) . Halfway through, let the dough rest while you lightly oil a bowl. Bread dough loves a short rest! Return, knead again until you have a smooth elastic dough. Place in the bowl let rise until doubled, punch down, let rise again. Dough is ready when you poke your finger in and indent remains.
• Turn it out onto a table divide into 3 equal pieces (I use a scale). Roll into ropes an inch in diameter, letting the dough relax if you need to, to relax the gluten. Braid and form a wreath, tucking the ends into each other as best you can. Place on a greased baking sheet cover with a damp cloth or lightly greased cling film let rise for 45 minutes. Glaze with the egg wash and sprinkle the almonds over top a generous amount. Put in a cold oven turn oven to 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Remove, cool and serve or store until you are ready for this wonderful bread.

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Sprinkle a dash of sugar on top to feed it. Set aside to proof.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add flour and make a well in the middle. On top of the flour, add sugar, salt, butter pieces and lemon zest.
• After yeast is bubbly, pour into the well and sprinkle a little flour on top. Add beaten eggs to yeast in center. Using a wooden spoon, start stirring in the eggs, adding/pulling in a little bit of flour from the sides. When you can't stir it anymore, begin to add the warm milk and keep stirring and adding milk until it's impossible to stir.
• Now, using your hands, keeping adding milk and blending in the flour until the dough is soft and barely tacky but not wet. You may or may not use all the milk (depends on the weather).
• Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. Knead for about 10 to 15 minutes to develop the gluten properly. Dough should spring back quickly from touch. Put into a lightly oiled bowl, turn once and cover with plastic wrap (touching the dough) and a towel. Place in a warm area to rise for at least one hour (should double in bulk).
• When fully risen, remove and divide dough in two. Set one aside under a warm towel. With the remaining piece, divide it into three equally-weighted pieces. Set two aside. Using a heavy rolling pin and your hands, begin to roll the dough into a rectangle. (Size doesn't matter, just so long as it isn't longer than a 1/2 sheet pan.) It should be very thin.
• Using a pastry brush, coat the whole piece in melted butter. Liberally sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar mixture and spread some raisins (if you want) over the whole piece. Carefully roll up the dough lengthwise. Pinch the seam together and place on 1/2 sheet pan that is lined with parchment paper. Cover with a warm towel. Repeat the process with the other two pieces of dough.
• When all three are done, braid the "strands" loosely together. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm place to rise again for at least 30 minutes.
• Repeat the whole process with the other half of your dough batch.
• Paint the braids with the egg wash and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Bread should be deep brown and slightly hollow when tapped.
• Slide the bread on the paper off the pan onto a cooling rack and allow to cool to the touch. Remove paper.
• If you want to pack it for a gift, allow it to cool completely. Then wrap tightly in good plastic wrap, then in foil. Cover with pretty cellophane and tie each end with curling ribbon.

Steps:

• For the Base of the Crate: Using an offset spatula, spread a 1/4-inch layer of tempered white chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper or acetate, being sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Lift the chocolate-covered paper by its corners and move it to a clean space on your work surface. Let the chocolate harden slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour a little milk chocolate over one end of the slightly set white chocolate. Pull the wood grain tool through the chocolate to create a wood grain design. Let the chocolate set slightly, until firm but not hard. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife or an X-Acto knife, cut 4 strips of chocolate, 18 by 2-inches. Cut 2 more strips of chocolate, 11 by 2-inches each.
• For the Sides of the Crate: Repeat the process and cut 2 strips 18 by 2-inches and 2 strips 11 by 2-inches. Cut 8 pieces 2 by 1-inch. These will be the supports for the sides and will hold the base to the sides.
• Assemble the Crate: On your work surface, place 4 (18 by 2-inch) strips spaced about 1/2-inch apart. Place 2 (11 by 2-inch) strips across the 4 (18 by 2-inch) strips towards the ends. Use white chocolate to glue the 2 strips in place. Divide the 1 by 2-inch pieces into pairs and glue each pair together along the long side, creating a right angle, or an L-shape. Stand the L-shaped chocolate pieces on their ends on each corner of the base, and glue them down about 1/4-inch from the outside edge of the base. Allow the chocolate to set.
• To glue the sides onto the base, glue the 2 remaining 18 by 2-inch strips and the 2 remaining 11 by 2-inch strips perpendicular to the base on the reinforcement corner. Position them so the bottoms of the strips are one inch above the base. Allow the chocolate to set.
• For the Hay: Place a large block of ice on a sheet pan and place on your work surface. Make a cornet and fill with the untempered white chocolate. Drizzle long strands of chocolate directly on top of the block of ice. The chocolate will set immediately but remain flexible. Lift the chocolate hay off the ice and gently bend to fit inside the crate.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.
• How to Make a Cornet(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• The Cornet: A cornet is a small piping bag made from parchment paper. It is usually used to make fine decorations.
• Cut an 8 by 12 by 14 1/2-inch triangle from a sheet of parchment paper. Hold the middle of the long side of the triangle between two fingers of one hand. Take the tip of the triangle on the short, wide end and roll it toward the other tip of that same end while simultaneously pulling it in an upward motion. The tip of a cone will form where your thumb and finger hold it on the long side. Release your grip from the long side, so that you are now holding the two corners where they meet. The paper will already resemble a partially formed cone. Roll the remaining tail until it is completely rolled into a cone. There will be one point sticking up from the open end. Fold it inside toward the center, and crease the fold. Now you should have a cornet. To close the cornet once it has been filled, fold it away from the seam; this will keep the seam from opening. Use a pair of scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut an opening at the tip of the cornet to the desired size.

Steps:

• Prepare your steamer setup: Fill a heavy-bottomed pot (the same diameter as your steamers) with 3 to 4 inches water. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Line 10 individual 3-inch cupcake molds with paper liners and arrange in 2 bamboo steamers.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the pancake mix, flour, brown sugar and water until smooth. (The batter should be thick but runny.)
• Divide the batter evenly between the molds, filling each about three-quarters full. Stack the bamboo steamers and cover with the lid. Steam for 15 minutes. Lift the lid, remove the steamers and allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.