Bischofsbrot [Bishop’s Bread]

[BakerAunt]

Bischofsbrot

This recipe comes from a pamphlet distributed by the California Raisin Board at the Los Angeles County Fair, around forty years ago, so it should be safe to post here. The original recipe used a 9x5 inch loaf pan, but I discovered that the center did not thoroughly bake in that pan, so I now use a 12 x 4 inch loaf pan from Kaiser Backform. I have even made it in small mini-loaf pans (but be careful to get the cherries evenly distributed in the smaller loaves). It will not dome and has a flat top. It is a dense cake and can be sliced thinly. Bischofsbrot {Bishop's Bread) is meant to invoke the idea of a stained glass window.

As a graduate student, I once baked this recipe for a seminar in which participants took turns bringing the food. The British-born professor exclaimed: "Christmas Cake! My mother used to make that!"

Ingredients (in order combined):

6 Tbs. unsalted butter [low-fat alternative1/4 cup avocado oil mixed with 2 Tbs. buttermilk]
1/4 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 Cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill milk powder (optional)

2 Cups chopped walnuts
3/4 Cups currants [or use regular raisins]
3/4 Cups golden raisins
1 Cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 Cup chocolate chips--dark chocolate would also be good--I'm partial to Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips )
about 15 whole red maraschino cherries, well-drained

4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups sugar

Grease and flour a 12x4 inch loaf pan. [Note: The Grease does not work well with this recipe.] Preheat oven to 300F.

Melt butter, stir in vanilla, and set aside to cool. If using the oil option, whisk together avocado oil and buttermilk for a minute, until it has a milky consistency, then mix in vanilla.

In medium-large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add nuts, fruits, and chocolate chips. Toss to coat and to mix thoroughly.

In large bowl, beat the four eggs at high speed until foamy. Gradually--2 Tbs. at a time--add the 1 1/4 Cups of sugar, beating until the mixture is thick and ivory colored. Beat in the melted butter-vanilla mixture. Using a spatula, carefully fold in the flour mixture, about a third at a time.

Spread the batter evenly in greased and floured 12x4 inch loaf pan. Bake at 300F for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Cool loaf on rack in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin plastic spatula around edges to loosen before turning out of pan onto a rack.. Cool completely. Powdered sugar can be sifted over the top before serving, if an even more festive look is desired.

Note: The original recipe specifies walnuts or almonds for the nuts--probably because those nuts are important crops in California. I'm sure that pecans would be nice as well.

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• This topic was modified 7 years ago by BakerAunt.
• This topic was modified 7 years ago by BakerAunt.

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