Reindling (Austrian Easter Bread)

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

• Flour. This recipe calls for regular all-purpose flour with a protein content of about 10%. If you use a stronger bread flour, remember that it will absorb more moisture, so you will need to use a little less by weight.
• Yeast. The recipe calls for dry yeast. If you substitute fresh yeast, add three times the amount of fresh yeast to the dough.
• Butter. You can use any sweet butter with a fat content of 72% or more. The butter should be soft before it is added to the dough.
• Milk. For the dough use milk of normal fat content – 2-4%.
• Eggs and yolks. This recipe calls for medium-sized eggs. One egg weighs about 50-55 g, and one yolk weighs about 20 g. The extra yolks make the crumb of the dough more tender by increasing the fat content of the dough. If you wish, you can use 2 whole eggs in the kneading and you will need to increase the amount of flour slightly.
• Sugar. Sugar is necessary in the dough to give it a sweet taste and to allow the yeast to work. I use regular white sugar in both the dough and the filling. If desired, the white sugar in the filling can be replaced with brown sugar to give a slight caramel flavor.
• Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon is an essential ingredient in the filling. Some regional reindling recipes also add anise, so you can experiment with flavors if you like.
• Dried fruit. Most reindlings are made with raisins, but there are variations with dates. If you want to add them to the filling, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into small pieces.
  If you like, you can soak the raisins in dark rum or brandy for a few hours.

Let’s start cooking.

Make the dough. Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk, add the sugar, butter, egg and egg yolks. Add the flour – not all at once, but about 80 grams less. Depending on the moisture content of the flour, it may be a little more or a little less, so it is better to add the rest gradually, watching the consistency of the dough.

Knead until smooth and soft.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1-1.5 hours – during this time it should double in volume.

Knead the dough and place it on a flour-dusted table. Stretch the dough into a rectangle about 50 cm long and about 1 cm thick.

Melt the butter for the filling and spread it on the dough. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and raisins.

Form a roll, starting from the wide side. Place the roll in a well greased ring pan.

Cover with a towel and let rise for about 30-40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and bake the reindling until done, about 45-50 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer – it should come out dry.

Allow the Reindling to cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Enjoy!