PREP JOBS
Bakery Xmas Biscuits – spreadsheet
Vanilla sugar – Grind approximately 25 teaspoons
Lime Pistachio Meringues – Grind 600g pistachios
Gelee Ringe – make dough, cover with clingfilm, label & keep cold
Rum Ringlets – make dough, cover with clingfilm, label & keep cold
Sterntaler – make dough, cover with clingfilm, label, keep cold
Vanille Kipferl – make dough, cover with clingfilm, label, keep cold
Zimt Sterne – Make the dough; Roll out, cut into stars, Put them on paper-covered baking trays, Cover with baking paper, keep cool
Apricots – Chop small
PLAN FOR THE DAY
i) Lime Pistachio Biscuits
ii) Florentiner
iii) Lebkuchen
iv) Gelee Ringen
v) Rum Ringlets
vi) Zimt Sterne
vii) Vanille Kipferl
viii) Sterntaller
ix) Croquants
x) Coconut Macaroons
xi) Dates – ongoing
i) Lime Pistachio Meringue Biscuits (88)
600g ground unsalted pistachios (pre-prepared)
6 limes (zest and 6 tbsps juice)
6 egg whites
6 pinches of salt
750g icing sugar
450g ground almonds
(Grind the pistachios into a medium fine meal)
Wash the limes with hot water, dry them and peel the zest into a small bowl
Juice the limes
In a large bowl, mix the egg whites with salt and whisk until stiff
Gradually add the icing sugar
Continue whisking for another 1 minute
Add the lime juice
Set aside 600g of the whisked mixture and 12 tablespoons of the ground pistachios to make the icing later
To the rest of the whisked mixture, add the ground almonds, remaining ground pistachios and the lime peel
Mix gently to make a dough
Leave to stand in the fridge for 1 hour
Roll the dough into small balls of approximately 1cm width, using sugar on your hands to prevent it sticking!!
Space the balls out on a lined baking tray
Use a fork to squeeze them flat
Use the leftover egg white to coat the cookies
Sprinkle with the leftover pistachios
Leave to dry at room temperature for 1 hour
Bake at the bottom of the oven for 10 minutes at 180*c
Leave to cool before taking them off the baking paper
ii) Florentiner (143)
450g unsalted butter
1125ml whipping cream
900g sliced/splintered almonds
900g mixed peel
1125g sugar
9 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
600g plain flour
280g milk chocolate
280g plain chocolate
Slowly bring the cream and butter to a boil in a pan
Reduce the heat and keep them warm
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (not the chocolate)
Add the dry mix to the hot cream and butter
Simmer for a couple of minutes
Place the pan in a ‘bain marie’ to keep the mixture from setting
Put small heaps of the mixture on a lined baking tray
Bake for 12–15 minutes at 175*c
Place on a rack until cold
Melt the milk and dark chocolate (separately) over hot water
Dip some cookies halfway into the chocolate, coat the base of the rest
Cool on a rack
iii) Nürnberger Elisen Lebkuchen (99)
1kg ground almonds
1kg sugar
280g mixed candied peel
20g ground cinnamon
10g ground cardamon
10g ground cloves
140g flour
peel of 2 lemons
20 egg whites
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to form peaks
Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg white mix to make a dense batter
Place the rice paper bases on a baking sheet
Cover each one in batter
Bake immediately at 150* for 25–30 minutes – don’t let them dry out
Chocolate glaze
Melt 300g (or more) dark, milk or white chocolate over hot water
When the cookies are cold, glaze them with either a plastic brush or dip them in the chocolate
iv) Gelee Ringe (374)
1.5kg butter
1.05kg sugar
9 eggs
peel of 3 lemons
2.25kg flour
6 tsp baking powder
Raspberry, Redcurrant and Apricot Jam
Preparation:
Sieve flour and baking powder together
Add butter, eggs, sugar and lemon peel
Work into smooth dough
Cover in cling film and rest in the cold for 1 hour
Roll out the dough on a little flour to about 2 – 3 mm
Cut out cookies with a medium size cookie cutter
Count how many cookies you have
Cut a shape out of the centre of half of them. (Use a small cutter)
Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 180*c
v) Rum Ringlets (174)
600g flour
600g ground almonds
600g sugar
600g butter, chopped into small pieces
3 pinches of salt
3 tbs rum
Sieve the flour and mix with the sugar and ground almonds
Add the rum and butter
Work into a smooth dough
Cover in cling film and let rest in cold for an hour
Roll the dough out onto a little flour to about 5mm
Cut out rings with a 4cm (approx) cutter
Place the cookies on a lined baking tray
Bake for 8 minutes at 200*c
Allow to cool
Glaze
600g icing sugar
6-12 tbsp rum
chopped almonds
Mix icing sugar and rum to make a paste to cover the cold biscuits
Decorate with chopped almonds
vi) Zimt Sterne (220)
9 egg whites
750g icing sugar
3 tsp vanilla sugar
9 drops almond oil
3 level tsp cinnamon
1500g ground hazelnuts
Preparation:
Whisk egg whites until stiff, gradually add icing sugar
Take away 10 tbsp of the mixture to use later for the icing
Add the spices and ground hazelnuts to the remaining mix
Knead to produce a smooth dough – it should not be sticky
Roll out quite thick (5 –10mm) on icing sugar – it may be easier with a sheet of baking paper covering the dough
Cut out cookies with a wet star-shaped cutter
Place cookies on a lined baking tray
Leave to dry for about 1 hour
Carefully coat the cookies with the egg white/icing sugar mix set aside earlier, taking care not to go over the edges
Leave to dry for 20 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes at 120-150*c (The icing on top of the cookie should not change colour and the cookies should remain soft.) Cool on a cooling rack
vii) Vanille Kipferl (88)
Ingredients
100g ground almonds
100g ground hazelnuts
140g sugar
2 pinches of salt
400g unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
560g flour
10 tsp vanilla sugar
1 cup icing sugar
Mix the ground almonds and hazelnuts, sugar, salt, butter and egg yolk together, kneading the butter into the mix
Gradually add the sieved flour, and knead to a smooth dough
Cover in cling film and allow to rest in a cool place for 1 hour
Cut the dough into half and form two long rolls
Cut rolls into small even sections and shape them into ‘smiles’
Place on a lined baking tray
Bake for 10–12 minutes at 180* until they are a light golden colour
Repeatedly dust with the vanilla and icing sugar mix while still warm – the biscuits will continue to absorb the sugar
viii) Sterntaler (64) – more would be good
300g plain flour
100g sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
275g unsalted butter
100g ground almonds
Preparation:Mix all ingredients into a smooth dough using a mixer and hands
Cover in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place for 1 hour
Roll out the dough on a little flour to approx 2mm
Cut out with a medium size round cookie cutter
Place on a lined baking tray
Bake for 5 minutes at 175/180*c, until a pale golden colour
Leave to cool on a cooling rack; Dust with icing sugar
ix) Croquants (115)
250g butter
250 g sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
Cream all the above ingredients together
200 g roughly chopped hazelnuts
200 g toasted, flaked almonds – roughly chopped
500 g flour
2 whisked egg whites
Add all the above to the creamed mixture
Mix to a dough
Cover & rest in the fridge or cool place for 30 mins
Form into finger-thick rolls 4-5 cm long
Leave some straight, curl the end/s of others
Place on a lined baking tray
Brush with egg yolk
Bake at 200*c in the centre of the oven for about 15 mins
x) Coconut Macaroons (66)
8 large egg whites
200g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
950g sweetened shredded coconut
Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until nearly peaking
Add the sugar and vanilla while continuing to whisk on medium speed for at least 2 minutes – mixture should be foamy and the sugar mostly dissolved
Carefully and thoroughly fold in the coconut to make an even batter
Spoon 1 tbsp of batter into a pyramid shape onto lined baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart
Bake for about 20 minutes at 160*c, until lightly golden brown
Rotate the baking tray for even baking
Allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet
Drizzle with melted chocolate?
xi) Stuffed Medjool Dates (195)
2kg organic Medjool dates
whole almonds and walnuts
pistachios
marzipan
dried apricot – chopped small
rose petals
desiccated coconut
125g chocolate
Carefully slice the dates open lengthwise and remove the pip
Stuff to your heart’s content and set aside
Dip the stuffed dates into the melted chocolate
Place on a cooling rack to dry
