“KAFFEE KRANTZ” (COFFEE WREATH)

1 cup sugar. 3/4 cup butter and lard. 4 eggs. 1 pint milk. 1 Fleischman’s yeast cake. 4 cups flour.

Cream together the sugar, butter, lard and eggs, add the milk, which has been scalded and allowed to cool; flour, and yeast cake, dissolved in a half cup of lukewarm water; beat well.  Set this sponge to rise in a warm place, near the range, as early as possible in the morning.  This will take about 1-1/2 hours to rise.  When the sponge is light add about 3 cups more of flour.  The dough, when stiff as can be stirred with a spoon, will be right.  Take about 2 cups of this sponge out on a well-floured bake-board, divide in three pieces, and braid and form into a wreath or “Krantz,” or they may be made out into flat cakes and baked in pie tins after they have been raised and are light.  Sprinkle sugar thickly over top after brushing with milk containing a little sugar, before placing in oven.  These should rise in about 1-1/2 hours.  Place in a moderately hot oven and bake from 20 to 25 minutes.  This recipe Frau Schmidt translated from the German language for Mary’s especial benefit.

This coffee wreath is particularly fine if small pieces of crushed rock candy be sprinkled liberally over the top and blanched almonds stuck a couple of inches apart over the top just before placing the cake in the oven, after the cakes had been brushed with a mixture of milk and sugar.

“MONDEL KRANTZ” OR ALMOND CAKE (AS MADE BY FRAU SCHMIDT)

1 pint sweet milk. 3/4 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 yeast cake or 1 cup yeast. 1/3 cup butter. 2 tablespoons rock candy. 1 orange. 2 tablespoons chopped almonds.  Flour.

Set to rise early in the morning.  To the scalded milk, when lukewarm, add the yeast and flour enough to make a batter, cover, set to rise until light, near the range, which will take several hours.  Then add the sugar, butter and eggs beaten to a cream, grated rind and juice of orange, a couple tablespoons finely-chopped almonds, and add enough flour to make a soft dough, as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon; set to rise again, and when light, divide the dough in two portions, from which you form two wreaths.  Roll half the dough in three long strips on the floured bake-board with the hands, then braid them together.  Place a large coffee cup or bowl inverted on the centre of a large, round or oval, well-greased pan, lay the wreath around the bowl.  The bowl in the centre of the pan prevents the dough from running together and forming a cake.  Brush the top of the wreath with a little milk, containing teaspoon of sugar, over the top of the wreath, stick blanched, well-dried almonds, and strew thickly with crushed rock candy or very coarse sugar.

Let rise until light, then bake.  This makes two quite large wreaths.