It‘s time for another „Bake Together – The Baking Surprise“ with Andrea from Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte! This one here should have been our „November Bake Together“ but we thought we move the date to the beginning of December. First of all, because of the theme – which is „favorite food from the Christmas market“ and second of all, because we normally do not bake anything at the end of December between Christmas and New Year. So postponing several days to start In December seemed logical ;) Well. Anyway. It’s all about Christmas markets today and that’s why I made a typical bake called „Handbrot mit Käse und Speck“ aka. Filled bread with bacon and cheese ;)
Normally we choose a certain ingredient to be the star in both of our bakes. In October we both used chestnuts, for example, and I think my Mont Blanc Chestnut Petit Fours turned out pretty nice ;) Well… this time the possibilities are practically endless. Anything from the Christmas Market is fine – no matter if it’s sweet or savory. And since food and eating is quite a big thing on German Christmas markets there is a lot to choose from ;) Candied almonds (gebrannte Mandeln), little balls that look like donut holes covered in confectioners‘ sugar (Quarkbällchen)… or this filled bread here – we Germans like to eat a lot around Christmas ;P
In Berlin, we have more than 80 Christmas markets each year (several big ones and tons of small ones that sometimes only last for a weekend) – but wherever I go – if they offer Handbrot I am getting one. And some candied almonds and maybe a chocolate-covered banana. Love those ;) We also have markets throughout the year – not Christmas themed, of course – but unfortunately, they hardly offer Handbrot there. So it’s quite specific for Christmas… at least what I experienced ;) BUT… now I can make it at home. I mean, I could have done it before, but now I did it. And it’s really nice!
Marking this kind of bread is not really complicated. It’s a simple yeast/bread dough that works without any special pre-doughs and such. You wrap a lot of bacon and cheese into that dough, shape it a bit and then you’re done and the oven can do the rest. The result is a delicious bread bursting with filling, crunchy crust, and awesome flavors.
About that filling… I used bacon and a Gouda/Cheddar cheese mix. The one from the Christmas market normally has cooked ham inside. So that is totally up to you. Salami or Chorizo would work as well. Also, use the cheeses you like – as long as they are good melting cheeses ;)
Have you been to a German Christmas market? If yes – did you like it? I wonder what Andrea made… still no clue. Maybe I should take a look now ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the dough:
5.3 oz. (150g) potatoes, cooked
9.9 oz. (280g) lukewarm water
0.3 oz. (9g) fresh yeast
9.2 oz. (260g) spelt flour (Type 630)
4.6 oz. (130g) spelt flour (Type 1050)
3.9 oz. (110g) wholemeal spelt flour
2 tsp. salt
For the filling:
8.9 oz. (250g) bacon, diced
7 oz. (200g) gouda, grated
3.5 oz. (100g) cheddar, grated
For the dip:
7 oz. (200g) sour cream
2-3 tbsp. chives, chopped
some lemon juice
salt, pepper
Für den Teig:
150g Kartoffeln, gekocht
280g lauwarmes Wasser
9g frische Hefe
260g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
130g Dinkelmehl (Type 1050)
110g Dinkelvollkornmehl
2 TL Salz
Für die Füllung:
250g Speck, gewürfelt
200g Gouda, gerieben
100g Cheddar, gerieben
Für den Dip:
200g Schmand
2-3 EL Schnittlauch, gehackt
etwas Zitronensaft
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. On the day of baking cut the bacon in small dices and fry in a pan until lightly browned. Let drain on a piece of paper to remove some of the fat. Grate the cheeses and set aside.
3. Take the dough out of the fridge and let warm up at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Place on a floured surface and roll out a rectangle of about 20×10 inches (50x25cm) – the dough will be sticky, so use a good amount of flour if needed. Add the fried bacon and cheese in the middle of the rectangle (see pictures) and fold the sides over that filling to seal them in. Press the edges together to make sure nothing gets out. Flip that log upside down so the seam is on the bottom and place on a piece of baking parchment. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to divide that log into 6 equal sized packages by pressing it into the dough in 5 spots. Sprinkle with some flour. Use a sharp knife to cut the packages diagonally on top until you see some of the fillings. Cover everything and let rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven (including a baking sheet) to 480°F (250°C). As soon as the dough has risen long enough pull the filled bread with the baking parchment onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle some water (2-3 tablespoons) on the bottom of the oven and close the oven door immediately so the developing steam cannot escape. Reduce the heat to 445°F (230°C) and bake for 28-30 minutes until the bread is nicely browned. Remove the “Handbrot” from the oven and let cool down a bit on a wire rack.
5. For the dip mix the sour cream with chives, season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to your liking. Serve with the still warm bread and enjoy.
2. Am Backtag den Speck für die Füllung kleine Würfel schneiden und in einer Pfanne kurz anbraten bis die Würfel leicht gebräunt sind und etwas Fett ausgelöst wurde. Auf einem Stück Küchenrolle abtropfen lassen. Die beiden Käsesorten reiben und zur Seite stellen.
3. Den Teig aus dem Kühlschrank nehmen und für etwa 10 Minuten akklimatisieren lassen. Ein Den Teig dann auf einer bemehlten Fläche zu einem Rechteck von etwa 50x25cm (20×10 inches) ausrollen. In der Mitte des ausgerollten Teiges einen Streifen (längs) mit dem Speck und Käse auslegen und dann von beiden Seiten mit den Teigrändern überschlagen – Ränder etwas andrücken. Die entstandene Teigwurst umdrehen, damit die offene Seite unten ist und dann auf ein großes Stück Backpapier setzen. Mit dem Stil eines Holzlöffels die Teigwurst an 5 Stellen zusammendrücken, damit 6 nebeneinander liegende “Päckchen” bzw. Handbrote entstehen – dabei nicht zu fest drücken, es soll noch immer eine Verbindung zwischen den Teilen geben. Alles mit etwas Mehl bestäuben und dann diagonal in die Päckchen einschneiden, bis man die Füllung sehen kann. Handbrote abdecken und für etwa 30 Minuten an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen.
4. Den Backofen auf 250°C (480°F) mitsamt dem Blech vorheizen. Sobald der Teig genug gegangen ist, die Handbrote mit dem Backpapier auf das Blech ziehen, etwas Wasser (2-3 EL) auf den Boden des Ofens schütten und die Tür sofort verschließen, damit der entstehende Dampf nicht entweicht. Die Temperatur auf 230°C (445°F) reduzieren und dann etwa 28-30 Minuten backen, bis die Brote eine schöne Farbe bekommen haben. Die fertigen Handbrote aus dem Ofen holen und auf einem Gitter etwas abkühlen lassen.
5. Für den Dip den Schmand mit Schnittlauch verrühren. Mit etwas Zitronensaft, Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken und dann mit dem noch warmen Handbrot servieren und genießen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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German “Handbrot” with Bacon and Cheese – Christmas Market Classic
- Prep Time: 45m
- Cook Time: 30m
- Total Time: 25h
- Yield: 6
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: German
Description
Delicious classic you get on almost every Christmas market: Handbrot with Bacon and Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Adapted from ploetzblog.de
Keywords: Handbrot, filled bread, cheese, bacon, German Christmas market
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;)
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