Categories: Cakes 
      Yield: 16 servings 
  
---------------------------------EQUIPMENT--------------------------------- 
           1 kouglof mold (1x3.5 litre/ 
           -- 6 pints or 2x1.75 litre) 
           -- Traditionally, Kouglof 
           -- (also spelt Kugelhopf or 
           -- gougelhopf) is baked in a 
           -- tall, fluted mold. 
           -- A savarin or baba mould 
           -- can be used instead. 
 
-----------------------------------DOUGH----------------------------------- 
     25 g  Fresh yeast (1 oz) 
    120 ml Milk (4 fl oz), boiled and 
           -- cooled to lukewarm 
     15 g  Fine salt (1/2 oz) 
    500 g  Flour (1 lb 2 oz) 
      6    Eggs 
    350 g  Butter (12 oz) 
     75 g  Sugar (3 oz) 
 
----------------------------------FILLING---------------------------------- 
    200 g  Raisins (7 oz) 
      3 tb Rum 
    100 g  Whole almonds (4 oz),skinned 
           -- and very light toasted 
      1    Egg yolk mixed with 1 table- 
           -- spoon milk 
           Butter for the mould 
           Icing sugar for dusting 
  
  Preparation, dough 
  Put the yeast and the milk in the bowl of your mixer and beat lightly. Add 
  the salt, then the flour and the eggs. Switch the mixer on to medium speed 
  and work the mixture with the dough hook for about 10 minutes, until the 
  dough is smooth and elastic with plenty of body. If you are making it by 
  hand, use a spatula and work the dough for about 20 minutes. 
  Mix together the butter and sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to low 
  and add the butter mixture to the dough, a little at a time, working the 
  dough continuously. When all the butter is incorporated, increase the 
  speed and mix for 8 to 10 minutes in the mixer or about 15 minutes by 
  hand, until the dough is very smooth and glossy. It should be supple and 
  fairly elastic and will be coming away from the sides of the bowl. 
  Cover the dough with a baking sheet and leave it in a warm place (about 24 
  C/75 F) for 2 hours, until it has doubled in bulk. 
  Knock back the dough by punching it with your fist not more than 2 or 3 
  times. Cover it with a baking tray and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, 
  but not loner than 24 hours. 
   
  Preparation, raisins: 
  Put the raisins in a bowl with the rum, cover with clingfilm and leave to 
  macerate for several hours. 
   
  Moulding 
  Generously butter the mould and place one-third of the almonds in the 
  bottom of the ridges. 
  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a narrow 
  rectangle long enough to line the bottom of the mould. Chop the remaining 
  almonds and strew them and the rum-soaked raisins over the dough. Roll out 
  the dough into a fat sausage shape, pressing it firmly together. Arrange 
  it round the bottom of the mould and press down lightly. Seal the two 
  edges together with a very little egg yolk-milk-mixture. Leave in a warm 
  place (about 25 C/77 F) for about 2 1/2 hours, until the dough has risen 
  to three-quarters fill the mould. 
  Preheat the oven to 220 C/425 F. 
  Bake the kouglof in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then lower the 
  temperature to 200 C/400 F and cook for another 35 minutes. If it is 
  becoming to brown towards the end, cover it with greaseproof paper. 
  Invert the hot kouglof on to a wire rack, carefully remove the mould and 
  return it to the oven for 5 minutes so that the centre finishes cooking 
  and becomes ligthly coloured. Leave to cool for at leat 2 hours before 
  serving. 
   
  Serving 
  Lightly sprinkle with icing sugar. 
  Kouglof freezes very well once cooked. Wrap in a plastic bag and freeze; 
  it will keep for several weeks. Be sure to take it out of the freezer 2 or 
  3 hours before serving. 
  (The Roux Brothers, French country cooking, M Papermac, 1992, ISBN 
  0-333-57670-5)