by Sarah McCoy
On this anniversary of the war’s end, I think it time I return it to its rightful owner. Thank you, Elsie. Never doubt that you saved me. Never doubt that it was more than enough. I do not know if you are still in Garmisch or Germany or this world, but I like to think that wherever you are, my voice will reach you.
With great love and sincerest thanks,
Tobias
EL PASO, TEXAS
DECEMBER 2008
Reba,
In honor of you and Riki finally setting a wedding date, I’m sending you a dozen of Mom’s recipes. These have been the Schmidt bakers’ secrets for generations, but I know Mom wouldn’t mind my sharing with you and Riki. Y’all are practically family. She’d be pleased as punch to have you and yours carry on her legacy in the kitchen.
I’m sure she’s smiling in heaven to see you finally take the plunge, and I can’t wait to bake the biggest, sweetest celebration cake I can muster!
Guten appetit!
—Jane
Reba’s Bread (no dairy)
In honor of Miss Reba Adams. (Soon to be Mrs. Reba Adams Chavez!)
1 cup warm water
1 packet active dry yeast (rapid)
3 tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup raisins
Sprinkle yeast over warm water. In separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, and oil. Stir in mixed yeast. Beat in 1½ cups flour. Add raisins. Stir in remaining flour. Knead on floured wooden board until the dough stops being sticky—about 10 minutes.
Form into ball and place in greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a dish towel, set in a warm spot, and let double in size. Once it has, punch it down and shape into a loaf. Place in greased bread pan. Cover and let rise again, only 30 minutes this time, then bake 30 minutes at 400°F until the crust is golden brown. Cool and slice up to serve.
Note: Now that you eat dairy, I suggest you spread a heap of butter over while it’s still blazing. That’ll put this bread over the top!
Thomasplitzchen Buns
Mom always said these could make your enemies your friends or your friends your enemies. I put on five pounds every St. Thomas Day because of them, so I’d say they’re my friendly enemies. Too good to eat just one.
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar or brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk
Filling
3 teaspoons melted butter
1 cup currants, raisins, cranberries, or whatever small, dried fruit you have on hand
¼ cup sugar
Icing
3 tablespoons melted butter
Few drops vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Mix up all the ingredients for the buns. Get a rolling pin and press out the dough to one-eighth-inch thick on a floured board. Mix together the filling: butter, dried fruit, and sugar. Spread it on the dough. Roll it up like a fat sausage, and make one-inch slices. Put them pinwheel side up on a greased cookie sheet and bake off in a pre-heated 350°F oven until barely suntanned on top. For me, that’s about 12 minutes on a hot day and 15 on a cold one. To make the icing, mix together butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. When the buns are out of the oven, give them a good sugar smothering and let cool.
Lebkuchen Hearts
These puppies will keep for months in the freezer and still taste like heaven! Shh—don’t tell the customers.
½ cup honey
½ cup dark molasses
¾ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons almond oil
1 large egg
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground ginger
In a pan, boil honey and molasses. Let it cool, then add brown sugar, almond oil, and egg. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and ginger. Pour wet into dry ingredients. Make sure it’s good and mixed. (Sometimes we add chopped hazelnuts or almonds, but Mom likes them the plain old-fashioned way.) Cover dough, and chill in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, roll out the dough and cut into heart shapes—or spread in a pan for squares. Bake until it springs back to the touch. Careful not to burn yourself! Usually takes about 15 minutes at 350°F. Glaze top with icing (recipe below). Let cool until it doesn’t drip. Cut into squares if you’re making them that way, and decorate with almond slices or colored icing or really anything you fancy.
Lebkuchen Icing
1 cup white sugar
½ cup water
½ cup powdered sugar
Boil the white sugar and water for a good 5 minutes, so the sugar is dissolved. Take off the stove and mix in powdered sugar. Brush on warm lebkuchen.
Brötchen
There’s nothing more German than this recipe. A staple for all true Schmidt bakers. These are best hot out of the oven with butter or cherry jam. That’s the way Mom did it. Here, I’ll give you Oma’s cherry jam recipe too.
2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet active dry yeast (rapid)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
Put 2½ cups flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour yeast, sugar, and two tablespoons of warm water (the water comes from the 1 cup) into the well. Mix yeast, sugar, and water in the well, but don’t mix in the flour yet. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it in a warm place for 15 minutes until it proofs. Add the rest of the water and oil, and beat in the salt and flour good. Turn out the dough on a floured wooden board, and knead. Add the remaining ½ cup flour as needed to make it smooth. Put dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it doubles in size. About an hour in that same warm spot.
Punch down, then split it into 12 pieces. Shape into rolls and place 3 inches apart on a greased and floured baking tray. Cover and let rise one more time until they double again.
Cut a cross on top of each. Beat egg white and 1 teaspoon water with a fork until frothy and brush the rolls. (Oh, I forgot—should have preheated the oven to 450°F already.) Then you bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden.
Oma’s Cherry Jam
Mom would’ve insisted that you eat this on brötchen to cut the sweet and sour.
She claimed it could rot your teeth otherwise. But I used to sneak spoonfuls right out of the jar as a kid, and I still got a full set of chompers.
2 lbs (6 cups) pitted cherries, chop them up or keep them whole according to your preference
5 cups white sugar
½ teaspoon butter
A splash or two of Kirschwasser (German cherry liquor—very good!)
Note: Some recipes use lemon juice, but Oma didn’t often have a lemon hanging around. You can make this without the butter and Kirschwasser, too, if need be. The jam is just as tasty.
Place cherries in a large, heavy-duty pot. Stir in sugar. Let this sit together for 2 to 4 hours. Add the butter now (if using). Bring it all to a rolling boil, being sure to stir it good, until it gels on the back of a spoon. Then take it off the heat and skim away the foam. Add the Kirschwasser to taste. Spoon the cherry preserves into one-pint steilized jamming jars. Screw on the lids as tight as you can. Let stand inverted for 5 minutes then turn over. These will keep for as long as you like.
Schnecken Sticky German Snails (Cinnamon Rolls)
These are similar to Thomasplitzchen buns, only the ingredients are more expensive with messier results. Their decadence borders on sinful. They make a person want to gobble without a care for who’s watching! And Mom never
discouraged folks from doing just that.
Dough
3⅓ cups bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ ounce fast rise yeast or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast
⅓ cup unsalted butter
½ cup milk, plus 2 tablespoons
2 eggs
Syrup
½ cup unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons white sugar
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans or whatever you got in the pantry)
Glaze
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Filling
3 tablespoons white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
Grease a 13- x 9-inch pan. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Melt butter in the ½ cup milk over very low heat and beat in eggs. Stir the milk-n-butter mixture into the dry ingredients to make the dough. Knead for 10 minutes. When it’s soft but springy, form a ball and put in a greased bowl. Turn to coat and cover. Leave in a warm place for an hour until it doubles in size. While that’s rising, go ahead and make the syrup.
Cream the butter until smooth, and add the sugar. Beat in maple syrup, and then pour the whole sticky sweet mess down in your baking pan. Top with the nuts.
Give the bloomed dough a good punch or two, then roll it into a large rectangle with the long side closest to you.
Time to glaze. Beat egg and add milk. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread the glaze over the rolled-out dough. Mix the sugars and cinnamon in a little bowl and sprinkle over glazed dough.
Roll it up from the long side, pushing away from you firmly. Cut into 12 even slices, and lay each slice swirly-side up on top of the nuts in the pan.
Let the oven preheat to 350°F while the buns rise for 20 minutes, then slide them into the hot oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until they’re golden on top but gooey in the middle. (Oh, I forgot a good tip: Mom always put a baking sheet underneath to catch all the sugar drippings so they don’t muss up your oven. Burnt sugar is a devil to clean.)
Take the buns out and let them cool a spell; 5 to 10 minutes should be plenty of time. Then get a baking sheet or big plate, and turn the pan over on it. Carefully dump the cinnamon buns upside down and spatula out all the syrup and nuts and good stuff.
Ready to eat whenever they’re cool enough to handle without burning your fingers. I dare you to wait any longer!
Matschbrötchen (Mud Bread Roll)
Tried and true.
1 schaumkuss (foam kiss) or a Mallomar from the store
1 brötchen or white bun
Pull or cut bread in half. Place chocolate foam kiss between pieces. Smash together and eat immediately. Preferably with a friend.
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)
Mom fancied a strong cup of coffee with a slice of this. She said it brought out the rich chocolate flavor. I think it’s delicious with or without!
Cake
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
1½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups buttermilk or regular—whatever is on hand
½ cup Kirschwasser
Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Kirschwasser (Not optional in this recipe. You must have it!)
1 cup powdered sugar Pinch of salt
1 cup pitted cherries chopped
Topping
1 square semisweet chocolate, or remaining crumbles
10 whole cherries (candied maraschino cherries work fine too)
Preheat (I remembered!) oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternating with milk until combined.
Pour into pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool completely. (Very important!) Cut each layer in half, horizontally, making four layers total. Sprinkle layers generously with ½ cup Kirschwasser.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream stiff. Beat in ½ teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon Kirschwasser. Add powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Beat again. (Note: This recipe is exercise.) Spread first layer of cake with ⅓ of the filling. Top with ⅓ of the cherries. Repeat with the remaining layers.
Decorate the top and sides of cake with leftover cream filling and chocolate curls. I use a potato peeler on the chocolate square or whatever chocolate crumbs are around. Sprinkle the cake generously. Place ten cherries around the top—these help you know where to cut the slices.
Sonnenblumenkernbrot (Sunflower Seed Rolls)
My dad was partial to these, so they’re one of my favorites too. You can bet Mom had no trouble finding loads of sunflower seeds in this town, and neither will you.
2½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cup rye flour
1½ teaspoon salt active dry yeast (rapid)
1 package sourdough extract (optional)
1⅔ cup lukewarm water, divided
½ cup dry-roasted sunflower seeds 1 packet plus more for decoration
Start by mixing together the white flour, rye flour, and salt. Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup of the water Add the yeast water, the sourdough extract (if you’re using it) and the rest of the water to the flour mix. Stir until it clumps into a ball. Knead on a floured board for 5 minutes. The dough should be firm and a little gummy.
Knead in the sunflower seeds, shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
When it’s doubled in size, punch it down, knead for a minute, and shape into 12 buns. Brush the tops with water (if you still didn’t eat dairy) or milk (now that you do!), and load them up good with extra sunflower seeds. Place the rolls on a greased tray, and let them rise until they almost doubled again.
Preheat your oven to 500°F. (Yeah, I know it’s awful hot to start, but trust Mom, it makes the best crust.) Put an old baking pan on the bottom rack, and let it get hot too. When the oven reaches 500°F, slash the tops of the rolls with a knife, pour a cup of water into the old baking pan, and put the rolls on the rack above. Then close up the oven as fast as a jackrabbit and turn it down to 400°F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they’re as golden as the Texas sunflowers in the fall.
Spiced Crumb Cake
Mom’s favorite and sure to please a crowd!
This cake is made in steps.
Step 1
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients to crumbs with hands. Put aside 1 packed cup.
Step 2
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup buttermilk to which 1 teaspoon baking soda has been added
Add these items to the rest (minus the packed cup). Mix well, and pour into a greased baking dish. I use a 9- x 11-inch pan.
Step 3
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture plus ½ cup chopped hazelnuts on top. Bake at 325°F for about 40 minutes. Easy as 1–2–3!
Pan de Muerto courtesy of Riki Chavez’s Mamá
I’m still perfecting this one. But like Mom said, we got to learn the recipes of our people so we can pass them on to the next generation of bakers and their sons and daughters.
½ cup good butter
½ cup milk
½ cup water
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packe
ts active dry yeast (rapid-o)
1 teaspoon aniseed
4 eggs
4½ cups flour (extra)
In a saucepan over medium flame, heat the butter, milk, and water until it’s hot but not boiling. While it’s doing its business on the stove, mix up the 1½ cups of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and aniseed. Take the liquid mixture off the stove, and beat in the dry mix until it comes together nice. Add the eggs. Add 1 cup of extra flour. Mix. Continue adding flour until it comes together like a dough should, soft but not sticky. Knead on a well-floured board for 10 minutes.
Grease up a big bowl, and put that dough inside, cover it up, and let it rise in a warm place. It should bloom in about 1½ hours. Punch it down, and shape it into round buns. Roll out some smaller pieces, and make them look like bones. Cross the bones on top of the buns and let them rise again for an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F when you’re finally ready, and bake 40 minutes. Remove and glaze immediately. That recipe is below.
Dead Bread Glaze
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
Bring everything to a boil for 2 minutes, then brush over the buns.
Churros/Kreppels
Same as Mom’s sugar-cinnamon kreppels, only shaped different. Ain’t no matter where they come from, the ingredients is all the same.