Bremen Klaben

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 50 ml milk, lukewarm
• 50 g sugar
• 2 cubes of fresh yeast
• 150 ml milk, lukewarm
• 150 g sugar
• 500 g butter, soft
• 1 tsp, leveled cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp, leveled coriander powder
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• ½ lemon(s), juice
• 1 vanilla pod(s), including the pulp
• 150 g raisins
• 100 g walnuts, chopped
• 50 g pistachios, chopped
• 50 g dried apricots, diced
• 50 g prunes, diced
• 50 g candied lemon peel, finely diced
• 50 g candied orange peel, diced
• 1 ¼ kg flour, sieved
• 100 g butter, heated
• 100 g apricot jam, heated
• n. B. Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

a North German Christmas biscuit, for a 20 x 25 cm tin

For the starter dough, dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm milk and stir in the crumbled yeast. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until it has doubled in size. Prepare a large mixing bowl and add all the prepared ingredients except the flour. Mix this mixture with the dough hook until everything is evenly distributed. Add the sifted flour and the starter dough and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for another 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Knead the dough again briefly and place it evenly in a 20 x 25 cm baking dish lined with baking paper. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for about 60-70 minutes. The Klaben will then be baked through and lightly browned. Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a wire rack. Brush the entire surface with the heated butter until it’s all used up. Repeat this step with the hot jam until it’s all used up. Allow the Klaben to cool completely on the wire rack and then store it in a cool place. Sprinkle the Klaben with powdered sugar, if desired, before slicing.