Circular Speaker Kugelhopf

It's up to you.

14 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Prepare the raisins and butter

   Pour 100 g of raisins into a bowl, cover with warm water and let them swell for 20 minutes. Drain them in a strainer and spread them on a clean cloth and dab them: they must be flexible but no longer drip. Cut the 120 g of butter from the dough into cubes and leave them to soften; keep the 20 g of butter for the mould separately.

2. Measuring milk and breaking eggs

   Heat the 120 ml of milk to about 30 °C: it should be barely hot, never hot. Break the two eggs one by one in a small bowl, remove any shell and beat them with a fork for 20 seconds. Check how to use the 7 g of dry yeast; if it needs to be rehydrated, use some of these 120 ml of milk, not extra milk.

3. Assemble the dough before kneading

   Pour the 350 g of flour into the vat of the robot equipped with the hook, then add the 7 g of yeast, the 70 g of sugar, the 4 g of salt, the beaten eggs and all the milk provided. Avoid leaving the yeast in contact with the pure salt before mixing. Spin for 2 minutes at a small speed to gather the ingredients; stop and scrape the flour left on the walls with a spatula.

4. Knead and then incorporate the butter

   Knead another 6 minutes at low speed, about 8 minutes in total before butter. Then add the 120 g of soft butter in four servings, until the previous one is absorbed before the next one. Continue about 8 minutes: the dough becomes supple and elastic, even if it remains a little sticky. Do not pour extra flour to make it dry; scrape the tank once if necessary.

5. Add the raisins and make the first rise

   Add the drained and dried raisins, then crochet at low speed for 30 to 60 seconds, just to distribute them. Gather the dough in the center of the bowl and cover it with a clean cloth or lid. Let rise for about 1 hour 30 minutes in a room around 24°C, until its volume has doubled; if the room is cool, rely on the volume rather than the clock.

6. Butter all the grooves of the mold

   With a clean brush or fingers, spread the 20 g of butter from the mould in a 22 cm kouglof mould, up to the grooves and around the central chimney. Place the 20 whole almonds at the bottom, distributing them in the hollows; if the mold has less than 20 grooves, put the remaining almonds between the first. They have to stick to the butter and stay at the bottom.

7. Install the dough around the fireplace

   Gently press the dough with the fist to bring out the big bubbles: it is the degassing. Lay it on a sheet of baking paper, form a ball and then open a hole in the middle with your fingers. Lift this ring with both hands and place it around the mold chimney. Spread the thickness with your fingers without moving the almonds from the bottom.

8. Let the dough rise in the mold

   Cover the mold without tightening and let rise about 1 hour in the same room, until the dough reaches about three-quarters of its height. Preheat the oven to 175 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan) for the last 15 minutes of this rise. The dough should be inflated and flexible; do not bake it very dense simply because the hour has passed.

9. Cook the kouglof to heart

   Place the pan in the bottom third of the oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. From 35 minutes, sting the thickest part, avoiding a grape: the sting must come out without raw dough. The surface should be golden and firm to the light touch. If it colors too quickly, protect it with baking paper without touching the heating elements.

10. Unmold and cool completely

    Let the kouglof rest for 10 minutes in its mould, then put a wire rack on it and turn the whole with oven gloves. Gently lift the mould; if the brioche resists, wait a few minutes and gently take off an edge without pulling on the grooves. Let cool for about 1 hour 30 minutes on the rack, until the center is no longer warm, before adding sugar and chocolate.

11. Prepare the top without sugar under the chocolate

    Place the cold kouglof on its serving dish and spot a crown on the top, around the hole. Keep this area bare: icing sugar would prevent chocolate from adhering to it properly. Reserve the 20 g of icing sugar to powder slightly the sides remained naked once the decor fixed. Prepare a small spoon or spatula to spread the chocolate without plugging the hole.

12. Napper the upper crown

    Chop 100 g of dark chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Spread the dark chocolate over the top, advancing all around with the back of the spoon. Remains on the upper part: the golden grooves of the flanks must remain visible. If a little chocolate comes down, leave a short natural flow rather than smearing the whole brioche.

13. Draw the two circles of the enclosure

    Chop 40 g of white chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Put the warm white chocolate in a cone and draw two large concentric circles on the black, around the central hole. Turn the dish with your free hand to guide the route, without touching the kouglof. The lines can be slightly irregular and must remain thick enough to be visible.

14. Allow to be taken and served

    Let it take 30 minutes in a cool room, then sift the 20 g of icing sugar in a light layer on the bare sides, protecting the top with a small sheet held without touching the decor. Get the excess sugar that fell on the plate. Cut a slice with the bread knife in small saw movements and place it next to it to show the crumb, raisins and almonds.