A Dutch sweet bread.
Legend has it that ‘Duivekater’ was an offering bread originally which was prepared in the period between Saint Nicholas and Epiphany.
Servings
Ingredients:
Directions:
Grate the lemon peel.
Beat the egg in
a small bowl.
Sift the flour above a bowl, make a well in the middle.
Add the yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar and a splash of warm water.
Beat this mixture with a fork until smooth.
Add the rest of the water and add 1/4 of the flour.
Knead the dough for 1 minute and cover with some of the remaining flour.
Leave the bowl in a warm place for approx. 20 minutes.
Add the rest of the sugar, the grated lemon peel, the butter and the salt.
Knead the dough well for 8-10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic foil.
Leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Grease a baking tray.
Dust the working surface, the dough and your hands with flour.
Flatten the ball and roll into a 40-50 centimeter oblong shape with pointy tips.
Transfer it to the baking tray, cover with a dry cloth and leave to rise for 15 minutes.
Slash both tips 3 times for a length of approx. 10 centimeters.
Curl in the strips which result.
Carve figures into the dough with a sharp knife.
Brush the dough with beaten egg and leave to rise for a further 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200° C.
Brush the dough with some more egg.
Bake the Duivekater golden-brown in the middle of the oven in 25-30 minutes.
Cool the bread on a wire rack.
~Willemina Venema in Rotterdam, The Netherlends, June 2003
Page created June 8, 2003. Anne Pemberton. Edited Sun, June 8, 2003 . AP.