Recipe 2- Sophisticated Elisen Lebkuchen

On my first trial of this recipe I lacked a few unique ingredients. Hartshorn, aka baking ammonia was the first-- having never used the ingredient before I admittedly was a little skeptical of the idea of putting ammonia in my food (see notes on Hartshorn)… I also couldn’t seem to find it in the store since it came packaged differently than baking soda. Secondly, I lacked anise and cardamom so I substituted star anise and nutmeg- spices that will do in a pinch, but not as good as the real thing. I also ended up with cookies too small for the oblaten (underestimating the amount of dough needed per oblaten, and overestimating the dough’s expansion capability).

Too much white oblaten showing through. This dough should practically reach the edge.

Lastly, my cookies came out looking rumpled as opposed to the smooth round-topped commercial lebkuchen I had come to know. This I owe to my assumption that the dough would settle and smooth out in the heat of the oven (it did not).

Lebkuchen post bake- too rumpled and too much oblaten showing at the edges.

On the second go around I corrected for the mistakes of my first trial and the results came out more as I had anticipated. First off, I ensured that the dough reached the edge of the oblaten and I smoothed the tops of the dough with a wet spoon (time-consuming but fruitful task that yielded a smoother, more rounded finish). Hardly any white oblaten showing. Cookie tops have been smoothed with the back of a wet spoon.

Secondly, I left plenty of time for the dough to rest before baking, and with the proper leavener, the cookies attained a “puffier” finish.

Baked Elisen Lebkuchen.


Here is the recipe I used. It is adapted from the recipe of top German chef, Alfons Schuhbeck. The flavor is delicate and satisfying. Very enjoyable.

Elisen Lebkuchen Recipe

Prep. bake, and cleanup time: 2.5 hours
Dough rest time: 2-3 days
To maximize flavor and texture, let baked cookies rest for 10 days before eating.
Cookies sealed in an air-tight container remain good for 2-3 weeks.

Bakes 30-60 cookies depending on oblaten size

INGREDIENTS

½ tsp. hartshorn (baking ammonia)

1 tbsp. Rum

40 g orangeat (candied orange peel), finely minced (just under 1/3 cup)

30g citronat (candied citron), finely minced (~4 tablespoons)

150g ground almonds (~1 3/4 cups)

50g chopped almonds (just under 1/2 cup)

50g ground hazelnuts (just over 1/2 cup)

6.5 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. lebkuchen spice*

4 egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

130g raw marzipan

30-60 whole almonds (optional)

30-60 Oblaten, 50 or 70mm diameter, round

(thin, tasteless wafer of flour & water,

aka communion wafer)

For glaze options, see notes at the end of this recipe

STEPS

Step 1- Dissolve hartshorn in rum (hold your nose the ammonia smell can be potent!)

Step 2- Mix 7 “dry” ingredients (orangeat, citronat, almonds, hazelnuts, flour, lebkuchen spice) together

Step 3- In a third bowl begin to beat the egg white with the mixer on high speed. Slowly add all the sugar. Beat until firm and creamy (about 10 mins).

Step 4- In a large bowl, mix marzipan (broken into pieces) with 2 tbsp of the beaten egg/sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

From left to right, back to front: beaten egg /sugar mixture, mixed dry ingredients, mixing egg/sugar mixture into marzipan, hartshorn dissolved into rum.

Step 5- Add rum mixture to marzipan/egg mixture and mix.

Step 6- Alternating, add nut/flour mixture and egg/sugar mixture to the marzipan, mixing thoroughly as you go.

Step 7- For best flavor, leave Lebkuchen dough in a tightly covered bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 days.

Step 8- Remove Lebkuchen dough from fridge. Laying out the oblaten onto an ungreased cookie sheet, place enough dough on each oblaten so that it nearly reach the edge and leaves only a thin strip of white oblaten uncovered. Smooth tops with a wet spoon. Press whole almond into middle of cookie (if desired).

Step 9 **IMPORTANT** (I highlight this step as it is an unusual one in cookie baking)! Let the sheeted cookie dough rest on the baking sheets for 4-6 hours before baking.

Step 10- Preheat the oven to 340F (171C)

Step 11- Bake the Lebkuchen for about 30 mins (checking at 20 mins, and adjusting if necessary to ensure even cookies are cooked to a light golden brown.

Step 12- Remove cookies from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Step 13- Once cookies have cooled, glaze if desired with

powdered sugar glaze or chocolate kuvertüre glaze.

For Powdered Sugar Glaze: Combine 1 eggwhite, 3/4c powdered sugar, 1 Tbl lemon juice. With a brush or a spoon apply a thin, even layer of glaze over the tops of the cookies.

For Chocolate Glaze: Melt 200g of zartbitter (semisweet) Kuvertüre chocolate in a small pot over med-low heat. Once chocolate has fully melted, let cool slightly and dip cookie tops in chocolate, placing them on cookie racks to dry for a minimum of 12 hours. Once dry, store in an air-tight container.

* Lebkuchen Spice Mixture:

1 t ground cardamom

1 t ground cloves
½ t ground allspice
½ t ground anise seed
½ t ground coriander

½ t ground white pepper
½ t ground ginger
1 Tbl ground cinnamon

Combine the spices and store in a tightly covered container.

Recipe 1- Simple Elisen Lebkuchen

This recipe is a quick and easy way to make Elisen Lebkuchen. The small amount of cacao powder in this recipe imparts a nice gingerbread brown color to the cookies. All together, the prep, baking, and clean-up time take about 1 hour. The dough is thin enough to pipet onto the cookies which makes the sheeting of the cookie dough a cinch. This recipe makes very attractive and tasty cookies.

RECIPE
Prep, Baking, and Cleanup Time: 1 hour
To maximize flavor and texture, let baked cookies rest for 10 days before eating.
Cookies sealed in an air-tight container remain good for 2-3 weeks.

Makes 20 Lebkuchen


INGREDIENTS
10g Cacao powder (1.3 tbsp.)
30g All-purpose flour (5 tbsp)
1 pinch Salt
25g Orangeat (candied orange peel), finely chopped
25g Zitronat (candied citron peel), finely chopped
100g Raw marzipan, shredded w/a grater
150g Ground almonds (~1 3/4cups)
10g Ground cinnamon (1.3tbsp.)
10g Lebkuchen spice* (1.3tbsp.)
1 pinch Hirschorn (baking ammonia)
4 Large Egg whites
water, as necessary
70mm Back-Oblaten
for glaze options, see notes at the end of this recipe

STEPS
Step 1- In a medium bowl combine the cacao powder, flour and salt in a bowl. Mix in finely chopped orangeat, and zitronat.

Step 2- When both the orangeat and zitronat are well coated, grate the marzipan into the mixture, mixing and coating as you go.

Step 3- Now stir in the almonds, hazelnuts, cinnamon, lebkuchen spice, and hirshorn.

Step 4- Finally, add egg whites to the mixture, and with an electric mixer, beat 30 secs on low and then on high until combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a little water until the mixture is creamy and smooth (you need to be able to pipe it onto the oblaten).

Step 5- Place all of the batter into a pastry bag, or a new 1/2gallon freezer bag. Cut off the tip of the pastry bag, or one corner of the freezer bag, and pipe the batter onto the oblaten using a circular motion. Batter should be slightly higher in the middle of the cookie.
Step 6- Bake cookies at 350F (or 180C) for 15 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack. Leave unglazed or once cookies have cooled, finish off with one of the glazes mentioned below.


Unglazed Elisen Lebkuchen just out of the oven.


For Powdered Sugar Glaze: Combine 1 eggwhite, 3/4c powdered sugar, 1 Tbl lemon juice. With a brush or a spoon apply a thin, even layer of glaze over the tops of the cookies.
For Chocolate Glaze: Melt 200g of zartbitter (semisweet) Kuvertüre chocolate in a small pot over med-low heat. Once chocolate has fully melted, let cool slightly and dip cookie tops in chocolate, placing them on cookie racks to dry for a minimum of 12 hours. Once dry, store in an air-tight container.

Elisen Lebkuchen Ingredient Notes

Hartshorn (Baking Ammonia)

While somewhat hard to find in the U.S., baking ammonia is a common ingredient in Germany, Scandanavia, and Greece- mainly used as a leavener in low moisture products such as cookies, crackers, and breadsticks. In Germany, Hartshorn can be found in grocery stores near the baking ingredients. Since it has a short shelf-life, during the rest of the year you may need to look in a specialty store, or inquire at the apotheke.

The advantages of Hartshorn are:

1) it is solely heat activated (so it won’t begin reacting until it hits the oven--In contrast, baking soda begins working in the presence of free water and an acid.)

2) it produces a crispness that is difficult to mimic with baking soda.

If you’re worried about the ammonia, rest assured that the ammonia will dissipate (it combines easily with the water- also produced by the reaction of Baking Ammonia and heat- and evaporates out of the cookies). Because the ammonia only dissipates upon baking however, it is advisable not to eat the raw dough. Baking ammonia is not recommended for products with a moisture content above 5% (ie breads, scones, bagels, biscuits). In this case the ammonia may remain trapped in the baked good and impart an off flavor and color.

Marzipan Rohmasse
Marzipan is a traditional component of German baking and confectionary. As such, the government has set up parameters to define raw marzipan (the almond/sugar base that is used in baking and to make marzipan candies). While the U.S. has no “standard-of-identity” for marzipan, Germany has set guidelines to ensure that raw marzipan meets a minimum standard of identity.

The main regulations are that marzipan rohmasse must contain:

1) no more than 17% moisture

2) no more than 35% sugar (when marzipan has a moisture content of 17%)

3) no less than 28% almond oil (when marzipan has a moisture content of 17%)

4) no more than 12% bitter almonds (a variety which is only edible when cooked)
As you can see, this marzipan rohmasse definition is fairly broad and focuses on maintaining a minimum level of quality. Therefore, there are a few varying factors which can impact the flavor and quality of the marzipan rohmasse:

1) The origin and quality of the almonds
2) The percentage of oil content in the almonds
3) The use/exclusion of bitter almonds
4) The actual % of sugar/ moisture/ and almonds used
5) The type of sweetener used
6) Blending/ processing method

Since only the percentage of almonds contained in the marzipan rohmasse seems to be required on the label, you cannot solely deduce the quality of the product from the ingredient statement. I mistakenly thought a higher almond percentage would translate to a “more almondy”, less sweet, higher quality marzipan rohmasse. This is not necessarily the case however. The quality and type of the almonds is also a factor, as is the percentage of sugar which is not always given.

In the end, it seems that more expensive marzipan rohmasse products may be appropriate for marzipan candies- where the quality and flavor of the marzipan is of utmost importance. For baking purposes however, it appears that even the most economical brand bought at Aldi is of sufficient quality.

Nuts
Traditional Elisen Lebkuchen utilizes only three types of nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts. They can be ground up (gemalen) or a combination of ground and chopped (gehakt). Hazelnuts seem to provide a complexity that “only almond recipes” seemed to lack, and chopped nuts seems to be a nice textural addition to the final product. Being November and baking season, I have had pretty good luck with getting fresh almonds and hazelnuts for baking (I’m sure it also helps that these nuts are grown in Europe). Unfortunately this was not the case with walnuts. Due to their high polyunsaturated fat content, shelled walnuts are extremely perishable. On two occasions I purchased shelled, packaged (Californian) walnuts from Aldi and they were rancid upon opening the package. Since nuts are a critical part of the Elisen Lebkuchen recipe, it’s important to find fresh nuts. I typically buy whole almonds and hazelnuts and grind them in my juicer. As for walnuts, if I used them in a recipe I would probably go through the laborious process of shelling them myself.

Orangeat/ Citronet (candied orange and citron peel)
More expensive brands of these products don’t necessarily seem to be much different. Compare color and ingredient labels to select a product. I purchased samples from both Edeka and Aldi and despite the price difference, both seemed comparable. Interestingly, Citron is not a lemon or a lime but a different citrus fruit all together. Most likely you have never eaten a citron (the pulp is dry and does not easily separate from the rind). For candied peel however, the citron is an excellent choice. Its rind is quite thick and is very fragrant.

Baking the Best Elisen Lebkuchen

While Germany is most famous for producing Lebkuchen, bakers and manufacturers of these gingerbread-like cookies are also to be found in other German speaking countries, most notably Switzerland and Austria. In general, Lebkuchen seems to encompass everything from the dry-cardboard heart cookies available at Oktoberfest and other fairs, to the softer, frosted rounds and bars prevalent in grocery stores, bakeries, and Christmas markets during the Christmas holiday season.

Last year I realized that there is a certain type of Lebkuchen that is made with very little to no flour at all. This type of Lebkuchen known as “Elisen Lebkuchen” appears to be revered as the “crème de la crème” of the gingerbread cookies. By law, these cookies must contain a minimum of 25% nuts (only almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts are allowed) and no more than 10% flour. The relatively high price of these cookies (bakeries sell them for about 2 euros each) and the lack of quality in most packaged Elisen Lebkuchen first drove me to the internet, and then into the kitchen.

What I found was that these cookies did not take any special equipment or any hard to handle ingredients (such as lye which is needed to successfully produce the ever popular German soft pretzel- the bretz’n). They did however have a curiously long preparation time (up to 13 days!) Some recipes recommend waiting 2- 3 days to let the dough rest before baking, while most recipes recommend waiting 10 days for the cookies to rest after the baking. The general idea is that waiting time gives the ingredient flavors a chance to diffuse and combine more thoroughly. The post bake wait also gives the cookies a chance to achieve their ideal soft, chewy, and dense texture.

Below are two recipes for Elisen Lebkuchen. The first is a very simple recipe yielding a brown cookie with a slightly spongy texture, and a dominate cinnamon-spice flavor. The recipe is an obvious winner for ease-of-preparation (and the resulting cookie is pretty tasty). The second recipe is more involved and takes more time to prepare, but yields a dark blond cookie with a dense texture, and a delicate, well-balanced flavor profile. This is the Lebkuchen to gift or to share at a special occasion.

Before you begin your baking here are some Elisen Lebkuchen Ingredient Notes you may wish to review.

Recipe 1- Simple Elisen Lebkuchen
Recipe 2- Sophisticated Elisen Lebkuchen

Baking In Bavaria

Being a foreigner in any country presents new challenges, and requires creative ways of approaching problems. Baking in a foreign country is no exception. As an American expat in Munich, Germany I have confronted many challenges (both frustrating and funny) in the kitchen. This article is to help you make sense of some of the differences so that you don’t have to get bogged down in the details and can get onto baking.

1) Baking Soda: While the texture of the baking soda produced in Germany appears to be somewhat more granular and less cakey, there seems to be no noticeable effect on baking. With some effort, the traditional orange-boxed Arm & Hammer baking soda can be found. Otherwise look for “Natron” in either a 50 g packet, or a box- usually found in the baking isle of grocery stores, or in the wellness/vitamin /mineral area of drugstores such as DM.

Common brands of German baking soda. From left to right, 200g box, 50g packet, 5x50g box of packets.

2) Butter:

a. Package & measuring: If you haven’t already noticed, butter in Germany is sold in a 250g block instead of in 4oz (113g) sticks. This makes measuring tablespoons a chore, but not impossible. If you’ve got a new block of German butter you could try this trick. Cut the block lengthwise. Half of the block is between 8-9 tablespoons- slightly larger than 1 stick of U.S. butter and you could measure off from there. If a more precise measurement is needed, using a measuring spoon or getting a hold of a food scale may be necessary.

b. Texture: German butter tends to be a little softer and seems to melt more quickly than typical U.S. butter -- nice for spreading on a Bretz’n… but we wonder—does it negatively affect the ability to make a nice flaky croissant? Jury is still out on this one, although serious (german) pastry bakers report that products “come out very well”. You be the judge, and get that butter nice and cold before you start working with it.

3) Chocolate Chips: rather than a common baking ingredient, “Schokotropfen” are more of a novelty and are often found in small cardboard boxes (100-200g or 3.5-7oz ea) with a big price tag. As a substitution, you might try breaking up a nice chocolate bar and using “chocolate chunks” in place of chocolate chips. Or, you may just want to ask the next American visitor to stow a few bags in their suitcase for you.

4) Corn Syrup: In most common grocery stores, neither light nor dark corn syrup is available. We have used a product called zuckerrubensirup (sugar beet syrup) which is a substitution in a pinch for dark corn syrup. Otherwise karo corn syrup can be found at some Asian grocery stores and online at www.foodfromhome.de.

Zuckerrubensirup is found not in the baking isle but near the jams and jellies in REWE supermarkt (among others).

5) Cream: To a non-native, figuring out what product is “cream” can be confusing. German grocery stores often offer “cream” under two different German names: schlagrahm and schlagsahne. Both are “cream” in the American sense but check the fat content to confirm that you are getting the right product. The German equivalent of heavy cream typically runs between 30-34% fat. German cream also often seem to contain some sort of “stabilizer” such as carrageen (helpful when making whipping cream, but not necessarily useful in baking scones or cinnamon rolls). To find a product without a stabilizer added, trying seeking out a “Bio” product.

6) Eggs: While some U.S./German egg differences are pretty straight-forward (eggs do not need to be refrigerated and come in packs of 6 or 10 in Germany), others aren’t as obvious. Egg size is an important factor which may be easy to overlook. Often the eggs found on the shelf in Germany are size M, and often recipes from back home call for size L eggs. In small recipes calling for only one or two eggs you can adjust for this by slightly reducing the non-egg portions of the recipe. For recipes/double recipes that call for more eggs, a handy rule of thumb is that 6 medium eggs= 5 large eggs. As far as egg storage- eggs maintained at room temp, may be kept at room temp until the expiration shown on the box. If you want to extend the shelf-life of your eggs, you may refrigerate them, but then you must keep them refrigerated (as the cold air damages the protective coating around the shell which keeps eggs safe for storage at room temp).

7) Nuts: Many of your standard baking nuts including almonds, walnuts, peanuts and cashews are in plentiful supply here in Germany. Pecans, pistachios, and macadamia nuts however are less common and relatively expensive. On the flip side, hazelnuts (not so commonly found in the U.S.) are readily available at a reasonable price.

8) Sugar:

a. Granulated sugar (Zucker) and powdered sugar (Puder Zucker) is sold just as it is in the U.S. You will find some differences however with other types of sugar.

b. Brown sugar comes in one main variety here called “brauner zucker” and it has a coarse texture closer to granulated sugar than brown sugar back in the States. For recipes like “sticky buns” or “fudge” the difference can be noticeable. In this case it may be worth seeking out the softer brown sugar that we know from back home. I was able to find a British brand of “soft brown sugar” at the second Asian grocery store I visited. It is also reported to be carried in some Bio organic grocery stores, and American/british grocery stores.

"Soft" American and British style brown sugar. This one was found in an Asian grocery store across from the Gasteig, Rosenheimerlandstr. S-bahn stop (outside of ped mall), Munich.

c. “Caster sugar” or “superfine sugar” is an ingredient not commonly used in American recipes, but I ran across it when working on a German “lebkuchen” recipe and had to hunt it down. It is known as “Feinster Sugar” in Germany and is not the same as powdered sugar (which has corn starch added as an ingredient to obtain a smooth consistency).

9) Vanilla Extract: you are not likely to find “pure vanilla extract” in a bottle like in the U.S. Judging by availability, vanilla flavored sugar is much more popular (and seemingly less potent).

Some stores sell natural vanilla aroma (Natürliches Bourbon-Vanille Aroma) but you will find it in a small, rectangular, 5gram plastic pouch and it is probably the closest substitute in a recipe that calls for “vanilla extract.”

10) Yeast: Packages in Germany do not specify how much yeast is inside, but rather specify how much flour the bread will leaven. Most packets of dry “Hefe” leaven 500g of white flour (or 4.5 cups) which is equivalent to what a U.S. package of dry instant yeast will leaven.