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At 93 years old, Lydia Alles admits she is slowing down a bit.
This year, she only made 30 German coffee cakes, called kuchen, for St. Paul’s Congregational Church’s annual holiday bazaar. Years previous, she may have made double that.
In fact, Lydia has made the recipe so often, she is able to recite it from memory, complete with little tips here and there to make the most moist, delicious kuchen possible.
Her husband of 70 years, Ray Alles, 91, laughs.
“She has it all up here,” he said, pointing to his own head. “She’s got written recipes, too, but ...”
Baking for the holidays is Lydia’s favorite. Cookies, candies and many, many pans of kuchen, a traditional coffee cake she associates with Christmas. She said she ends up giving away many of her creations, but she loves it just the same.
Most cultures have special breads associated with the Christmas holiday, from the Italian panettone and the Greek Christopsomo to the German stollen and the Swedish Voertbroed.
Both Ray and Lydia are German, but their families migrated to the United States from Russia. Lydia said kuchen was more often made in her home for the holidays, although she said the basic dough can be used to make stollen, also.
Bessie Capsalis of Greeley is familiar with Christopsomo, or Christ’s bread, which is the traditional Greek bread made at Christmas. Capsalis said it is a dish more associated with islands around Greece. Her family makes Vassilopita, a bread made on New Year’s Day to celebrate the feast of St. Basil.
According to legend, St. Basil, a 4th century bishop who was especially generous to the poor, would anonymously hide coins in bread that was delivered to those in need.
Capsalis said that is still her family’s tradition.
“You bake a coin in the bread, and the father of the house cuts the bread,” she said. “Whoever finds the coin in their piece of bread has good luck and good health all year.”
My Italian grandmother, whom we called “Nan” as a shortened version of the Italian word for grandmother “Nona,” made traditional panettone every Christmas. The kids in the family either loved it or hated it. I loved it, especially toasted for breakfast. I still do.
There are many recipes for Italian panettone, but most include some kind of fruit, often currents, raisins or other dried fruit. Some include nuts and anise, a small seed usually ground with a mortar and pestle and gives the bread a slight licorice taste.
Lydia and Ray Alles look forward to Christmas every year. Although they’ve stopped putting up all the decorations they would when their children were still at home, Ray will still sing “Silent Night” in German at the Christmas Eve mass at St. Paul’s. And Lydia, of course, will be churning out sweets for her family and friends to enjoy.
“The busier you are, the younger you get,” Lydia said, chuckling.
This year, she only made 30 German coffee cakes, called kuchen, for St. Paul’s Congregational Church’s annual holiday bazaar. Years previous, she may have made double that.
In fact, Lydia has made the recipe so often, she is able to recite it from memory, complete with little tips here and there to make the most moist, delicious kuchen possible.
Her husband of 70 years, Ray Alles, 91, laughs.
“She has it all up here,” he said, pointing to his own head. “She’s got written recipes, too, but ...”
Baking for the holidays is Lydia’s favorite. Cookies, candies and many, many pans of kuchen, a traditional coffee cake she associates with Christmas. She said she ends up giving away many of her creations, but she loves it just the same.
Most cultures have special breads associated with the Christmas holiday, from the Italian panettone and the Greek Christopsomo to the German stollen and the Swedish Voertbroed.
Both Ray and Lydia are German, but their families migrated to the United States from Russia. Lydia said kuchen was more often made in her home for the holidays, although she said the basic dough can be used to make stollen, also.
Bessie Capsalis of Greeley is familiar with Christopsomo, or Christ’s bread, which is the traditional Greek bread made at Christmas. Capsalis said it is a dish more associated with islands around Greece. Her family makes Vassilopita, a bread made on New Year’s Day to celebrate the feast of St. Basil.
According to legend, St. Basil, a 4th century bishop who was especially generous to the poor, would anonymously hide coins in bread that was delivered to those in need.
Capsalis said that is still her family’s tradition.
“You bake a coin in the bread, and the father of the house cuts the bread,” she said. “Whoever finds the coin in their piece of bread has good luck and good health all year.”
My Italian grandmother, whom we called “Nan” as a shortened version of the Italian word for grandmother “Nona,” made traditional panettone every Christmas. The kids in the family either loved it or hated it. I loved it, especially toasted for breakfast. I still do.
There are many recipes for Italian panettone, but most include some kind of fruit, often currents, raisins or other dried fruit. Some include nuts and anise, a small seed usually ground with a mortar and pestle and gives the bread a slight licorice taste.
Lydia and Ray Alles look forward to Christmas every year. Although they’ve stopped putting up all the decorations they would when their children were still at home, Ray will still sing “Silent Night” in German at the Christmas Eve mass at St. Paul’s. And Lydia, of course, will be churning out sweets for her family and friends to enjoy.
“The busier you are, the younger you get,” Lydia said, chuckling.
Recipes
Nan’s Panettone
5 1/2 to 6 cups flour 2 packages dry yeast 1 cup milk 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, plus 1 for brushing top 1 1/2 cups mixed candied fruit 1/2 pine nuts In a stand mixer with a dough attachment or a large bowl using a wooden spoon, mix 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast. Heat together milk, honey, butter and salt, to between 114-120 degrees, stirring constantly. Add dry ingredients and eggs. Beat at a low speed for 30 seconds. Stir in fruit and nuts. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Let rise until double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough and divide in half. Cover and let rise 10 minutes. Shape dough into two round loaves. Place on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut an “X” on the top. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes. Mix egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush loaves with the egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Note: This recipe can also make four small loaves. Reduce cooking time by about 10 minutes. Christopsomo 8 cups of all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon of salt 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast 1 cup of warm water (105 degrees) 1 cup of warm red wine 1/2 cup of olive oil 1/4 cup of orange juice 1/4 cup of brandy Grated peel of 2 oranges 1 cup of sugar 1 1/2 cups of raisins 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup of pine nuts 1 tablespoon of grated gum mastic or 1 tablespoon of crushed anise seed 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Topping: Milk 2 whole walnuts in shells Sesame seeds Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 tablespoons of flour, stir until dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes, until it bubbles. In a large mixing bowl, sift the salt with 2/3 of the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining warm water and the wine. Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with waxed paper and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes until any air pockets are gone. Sift in the remaining flour, add the oil, orange juice, brandy and grated orange peel. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts, gum mastic or anise, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until blended, and add to the dough. Knead well until the dough is firm and doesn’t stick (about 10 minutes), cover, and allow to rise for 1/2 hour. On a lightly buttered baking pan, shape the bread into two circular loaves, about 8 inches in diameter. Cover with a dry cloth and a damp cloth over that, and place in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in size. Using a floured knife, score a cross into the top of the loaves, and place one whole, unshelled walnut at the center. Brush the bread with milk and scatter with sesame seeds. Place a pan with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Place the bread in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan with the water, reduce heat to 390 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, brush lightly with water, and cool on a rack. Preparation tip: Use a mortar and pestle to crush the anise seed. Decorate the bread: Before kneading the dough, pull a fistful of dough from each loaf. Pat the dough back into shape to rise. When risen, use the small pieces of dough to create designs: roll them out into strips and coil around whole walnuts pressed into the top in the shape of a cross, or make them into the shapes of your choice and place on top of the loaves. Continue with the recipe. Brush with beaten egg instead of milk to get a brighter glaze. Vassilopita, or St. Basil’s Bread 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for counter) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed (not hot) 3 envelopes dry yeast 1 2/3 cup unsalted butter (3 sticks plus 3 tablespoons) 1 2/3 cup sugar Zest of one orange Zest of one lemon 1 tablespoon mahlab (an aromatic spice made from cherry seeds) 5 eggs, lightly beaten Topping: 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water Slivered almonds for decorating Sift the flour with the salt in a large bowl and set aside. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. (Be sure it is lukewarm, not hot.) Add 1/2 cup of the flour and 1 tablespoon sugar to the mixture. Cover tightly and set aside until it becomes bubbly and foamy. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over very low heat. Stir in the sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, and mahlab. Remove from heat and stir in the beaten eggs. Cool slightly. Add the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Slowly incorporate the flour until the mixture forms a smooth, wet dough. Cover the bowl and let rise until it is about double in size — about 2 hours in a warm place. Turn the dough out on to a well-floured counter and punch down. You will need to keep sprinkling the dough with flour to keep it from sticking. It will remain a loose, wet dough. Cover a coin with aluminum foil and fold it into the dough. Shape into a large round ball and place in a greased round baking pan, about 16 inches in diameter. While it may not initially fill the pan completely, the dough will expand and rise to the size of the pan. Once the dough has risen to about double again, carefully brush the surface with egg wash and sprinkle with slivered almonds or make your own pattern. We often like to write the number of the New Year in almonds across the top. Bake in a preheated 280-degree oven for about an hour until the crust is nicely browned all over. German Stollen 3 packages active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees) 11 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground mace 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 cups milk, warmed 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl 6 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 1/4 cups currants 1/2 cup Cognac 2 1/2 cups golden raisins 1/2 cup orange juice Peel of 4 oranges, diced Grated zest of 2 lemons 1/2 pound citron, diced 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped 2 1/2 cups blanched almonds, chopped Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting In a small bowl, combine yeast and 1/2 cup warm water, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Stir in milk and 1 1/4 cups melted butter. Add dissolved yeast and eggs. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until fairly smooth. In two separate bowls, soak currants in Cognac, and raisins in orange juice. Let each stand for 10 minutes. In a medium-size bowl, mix together currants and raisins with their soaking liquids, the orange peel, lemon zest, citron, apricots, and almonds. Work mixture into dough. Continue kneading for about 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, knead in more flour, but be careful not to overwork. Place dough in a large buttered bowl. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough, and cut in quarters. Roll each piece into a 12x8 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter, then fold one long side to the center. Fold other long side over first side, overlapping it by 1 inch. Turn dough over, taper the ends, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining 3 loaves, using a second parchment-lined baking sheet for the third and fourth loaves. Cover loaves with plastic wrap; let rise again in a warm place, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees, with two racks centered. Bake stollen until golden brown, about 35 minutes, rotating the sheets between the racks halfway through baking. Cool on wire rack; dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve. Cherry Kuchen 1 package dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup butter, softened 1 egg 3 cup flour 1 can instant cherry pie filling Dissolve yeast in water. Add rest of ingredients, but only 1/2 of the flour until well mixed, then stir in rest of flour. Let rise 1 hour. Spread in greased, 12x18 inch pan. Cover with filling. Let rise 15 to 20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Topping: 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup almond extract 2 tablespoon flour 1 cup milk Mix together. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Drizzle over Kuchen immediately after removing from oven. |
