Festive Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread Recipe

Festive Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread is soft and tender with a beautiful cherry aroma. While not too sweet, the tartness of the cherries pairs perfectly with the Powdered Sugar dusting. 

Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread reminds me of Spring and Mother’s Day. I think it’s because of those beautiful cherry trees that I grew up with. Cherry trees when they’re full of pink blossoms in the spring is something to behold.

It’s no secret or disrespect when I say my mother didn’t love cooking. Her meals were very simple and she wasn’t much of a baker.

One thing that she did do exceptionally well was to make pies. She made good use of those cherry trees in our yard and they made the best cherry pies.

Especially will a dollop of vanilla ice cream!

So when I made plans to try this beautiful bread together it was with thoughts of those cherries, spring and Mother’s Day.

Most Kugelhopf bread is baked in a bundt or decorative tube pan. I liked this pan because it reminds me of a church under a new snowfall.

Where does Kugelhopf come from?

Kugelhopf Bread is said to come from Vienna. Cherries and raisins are typical of this bread in the Alsace area.

John doesn’t love raisins so I went all dried tart cherries. They were so plump after a short Cherry brandy bath. They held up well in this bread. The cherry brandy is evident in the beautiful aroma of this bread.

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5 from 1 vote

Festive Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread Recipe

Festive Cherry Almond Kugelhopf Bread is soft and tender. It has a cherry aroma and while not sweet, the baked cherries give it a nice pop of sweet tartness.

Prep Time 5 hrs

Cook Time 25 mins

Raising time 3 hrs 30 mins

Total Time 5 hrs 25 mins

Servings 12

Author Hostess At Heart

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Ingredients

• 1 cup Cherries dried tart cherries
• 1/4 Brandy cherry
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp rapid-rise or instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 6 tbsp white granulated sugar
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

• It’s recommended that an electric stand mixer is used for this bread.
• Microwave cherries and cherry brandy in a covered bowl for 1 minute. Set aside for 15 minutes. Drain cherries, reserving brandy.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk flour, yeast, and salt together.
• In a 4-cup measuring cup whisk milk, eggs, granulated sugar, and reserved brandy together until sugar has dissolved.
• Using the dough hook on the mixer, slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Increase speed to medium-low and knead until dow pulls away from the sites of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, approximately 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time until totally incorporated, about 4 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low, add cherries and mix until incorporated, approximately 1 minute. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
• Using your fingers or a dough scraper, fold the dough towards the center. Turn the bowl 90-degrees and fold again, repeat two more times. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 additional minutes. Repeat folding, cover the dough and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
• Grease 12 cup nonstick Bundt pan and sprinkle the bottom with almonds. Press the dough down to deflate, then transfer to a lightly floured counter. Using your hands, press dough into an 8-inch circle.
• Press your fingers through the center to create a 2-inch hole. Gently put the dough into the Bundt pan and lightly press into the pan. Cover and allow to rise until loaf is level, 1 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bread registers 190°F with an instant-read thermometer. Let loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert loaf onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely about 3 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Notes

I used a 10-cup bundt pan but a 12-cup will work as well.
Recipe based on Bread Illustrated by America’s Test Kitchen. Prep time includes nonactive rise time.

Nutrition

Serving: 12g | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 218mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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I’m hoping you agree that this is indeed a very special bread and hope that you will leave me a comment and a 5-star rating!