Bremer Klaben (North German Christmas Bread)

Bremer Klaben on a Chopping Board. Two slices are cut off

5 from 2 votes

Bremer Klaben (North German Christmas Bread)

Bremer Klaben is a speciality from the hanseatic town of Bremen. Similar to stollen it is made from a heavy yeast dough, spiced with cardamon, lemon and orange peel and almonds.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Resting Time 1 30

Total Time 3 15

Servings people

Calories 694kcal

Author Marita

Equipment

2 rectangular bread pans (23.5 x 12.7 cm/9.5 x 5 Inch)

Ingredients

For the fruit filling

700 g raisins 24.6 oz
80 g candied lemon peel 2.8 oz
40 g candied orange peel 1.4 oz
60 g sliced almonds 2.1 oz
60 ml rum

For the dough

1 kg flour 36 oz ( (Germany Type 405, UK Plain Flour, USA Pastry Flour))
400 g butter 14 oz (softened at room temperature)
300 ml milk 10. fl oz lukewarm
2 packs yeast 14 gr or 4 teaspoon
80 g sugar 2.8 oz
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ teaspoon ground cardamon

Instructions

This step should be done ideally the day before, but at least 1 hour before baking. Wash the raisins and drain them in a colander. Place in a bowl with the lemon and orange peel and chopped almonds. Add the rum to ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl and leave the flavours to infuse overnight. This will prevent the raisins from drying out the dough too much.
The next day preheat your oven to its lowest setting. Mine is 50°C or 122°F.
Add the sugar and yeast into the lukewarm milk. At leave to rest for 10 minutes. You should see bubbles forming on the surface. If you cannot see bubbles then the milk might have been too hot and you will need to start again.
Place the butter, flour, cardamon, salt and fresh lemon peel into a mixing bowl. Pour in the milk/yeast mixture and knead the dough for about 5 minutes to a smooth mass using a hand-or stand mixer. Turn off your oven, cover the dough with a tea towel and place it in the oven for about 30 minutes to rise.
Now knead the dough through again and carefully work in the rum-soaked dried fruit.
Grease 2 rectangular bread pans (23.5 x 12.7 cm/9.5 x 5 Inch)
Divide the dough in half and place each half into a bread pan. Cover them with a tea towel. Leave to rise for a further hour. If your house is cold, you can place them back in the turned-off oven. It should still be warm.
Preheat your oven to 180°C or 356°F top to bottom heat. (Remove the rising Klaben first if necessary) Bake the Klaben for approx 60 minutes. If the top browns too much cover it with a piece of foil or baking parchment. To check if it is done, prick a skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean, it is ready.

Notes

I would strongly recommend checking out the recipe step pictures in the main post.

How to serve

There are many ways that Klaben is served. Some like to eat it without any topping. However, others like it eat it, spread with butter. Other's place it on top of "Schwarzbrot" (dark rye bread). Another option is to eat it with "Mettwurst" which is a raw smoked German Sausage.

Storage Instructions:

The Bremer Klaben will keep up to three months in an air tight container. Because of its high-fat content, it is especially durable. It is also suitable for freezing.

Nutrition