Belgium

Cougnou 
(Bread of Jesus)



Serves 6

Ingredients
8 cups all-purpose flour + flour for kneading
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
8 ounces (2 sticks) softened butter
1-1/4 cups warm milk
2 teaspoons salt
6 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup + 2 tablespoons coarse sugar crystals (the original recipe called for 2 cups)
Glaze:
3 egg yolks
3 teaspoons milk

Directions
1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in flour. Pour warm milk into well. Add yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes. Mix. Add eggs, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Beat the mixture with a spoon (you can use your electric mixer if you wish). Gradually add butter. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead until dough no longer sticks to work surface. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Turn onto work surface. Knead in raisins and 1 cup coarse sugar crystals. Divide dough into six balls. Lightly grease or spray 2 cookie sheets. Connect three balls, representing head, body and legs, on each sheet. Allow to rise until doubled in size.
2. Preheat oven to 430 degrees F. Combine egg yolks with 3 teaspoons milk. Brush loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons sugar crystals. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Yield: 2 loaves.

Note: If you are unable to find sugar crystals, coarsely chop sugar cubes to desired size.


Moques


Serves 10

Ingredients
150 g butter
250 g flour
100 g brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate
1 pinch of cinnamon
a few drops of anise extract

Directions
1. Mix the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and anise extract and stir well.
3. Make the dough into a roll with a diameter of 5 cm and let it rest it in a cool place for half an hour
4. Cut the roll into slices of about 1/2 inches
5. Butter a baking pan and bake the cookies 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 175 ° C.


Cramique 
(Raisin Breakfast Bread)



Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (do not pack it down in the measuring cup)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, warm (110 degrees F)
2 egg yolks, large
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft (2 ounces)
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark raisin

Directions
1. Place 1 1/2 cups flour in the bowl of your mixer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yeast and the milk, then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir the egg mixture into the flour.
2. Using the paddle, mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes; stop the mixer and allow the dough to rest for ten minutes. Add the butter, sugar and salt to the bowl along with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and mix on the lowest speed until combined; then mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about another 3 - 4 minutes.
3. Beat in the raisins on the lowest speed (if necessary, plump the raisins in hot water to soften, drain, pat dry and add).
4. Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl and turn the dough over so that the top is buttered. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise til doubled, about an hour.
5. Meanwhile butter a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment.
6. After the dough is risen, scrape it onto a floured board. Press the dough into a rectangle brush off any excess flour; stretch th dough into a rectangle and then fold like a business letter about the length of your loaf pan. Tuck in the ends and lay the loaf in the pan, seam side down.
7. Butter a piece of plastic wrap and cover the bread with it (buttered side down) and allow the loaf to rise til doubled, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
8. When the loaf has completely risen, place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake until the bread is a deep golden color and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F., about 30 minutes.
9. Unmold onto a rack and cool on its side.


Flamiche
(Tarte au sucre)


Serves 8

Ingredients
1 ounce unsalted butter
4 sheets of phyllo pastry
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
4 ounces sour cream
7 ounces mixed berries
confectioners' sugar, to serve or whipped cream

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. You will need a heat-proof mixing bowl that will fit over a saucepan with the base of the bowl clear of the bottom of the pan. You will also need a small frying pan with an oven-proof handle.
2. Place the butter in a small bowl and melt in microwave. Use a pastry brush to lightly butter the inside of the frying pan.
3. Lay a sheet of phyllo pastry in the pan and brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet of pastry on top, but this time at an angle to the first sheet. brush with butter. Repeat with your remaining sheets. By laying each sheet at an angle to the previous one, you will make a rough star shape.
4. Bring some water to a simmer in the saucepan - enough to come close to the bottom of the heat-proof mixing bowl when you put it on top, but not actually to touch it.
5. Place the sugar and eggs in the mixing bowl and place over simmering water. Whisk the sugar and egg mixture over the heat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add half of the sour cream and whisk again, then add the remainder and whisk once more. Take the pan off the heat and carefully lift off the bowl.
6. Place the frying pan line with pastry over very low heat for 5-6 minutes, until the underneath is lightly browned - you can lift the edges gently with a spatula to check how it is doing.
7. Remove the pan from the heat, scatter the fruit over the pastry, and top with the egg mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the egg mixture has set.
9. Cool slightly and dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, or you can serve a dollop of whipped cream on each slice.


Tarte au fromage


Serves 8

Ingredients
4¼ hours 20 min prep
Change to: pie US Metric
Dough
200 g flour
100 g butter, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
1 egg yolk
11 g dry yeast
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup warm water
Filling
1/2 cup applesauce
500 g white cheese
3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons vanilla sugar
8 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon melt butter
3 egg whites, beaten

Directions
1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, warm water and egg.
2. Add the butter and the salt.
3. Leave for 2-3 hours. Roll out the dough and put it in a pie form, prick it with a fork and leave for 1/2 hour.
4. Put the applesauce on top of the dough.
5. Mix the other ingredients in the order stated and put on top of the applesauce.
6. Bake for 45 min at 180 °C.



Almond bread 
(Pain d’amande)



Makes about 80-90 cookies

Be sure to bake these cookies on parchment paper since if you use a silicone mat, they won’t get as crispy. And the other tip is not to let the sugar melt in the butter; the big crystals add a wonderful crunch to these delightfully-delicious cookies.

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, cubed
1 1/3 cups (300g) coarse crystal golden sugar (see Note)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (80ml) water
2 1/3 cups (325g) flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (85g) sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat with the sugar, cinnamon, and water. Stir until the butter just melts but don’t allow to boil: most of the sugar should not be dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the flour, baking soda, and almonds until well mixed.
3. Line a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the dough into the pan so the top is smooth. Chill until firm.
4. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325º (160ºC.)
5. Using a very sharp chef’s knife, slice the dough crosswise, as thin as possible, into rectangles. If you can get them as thin as a coin, all the better. The thinner they are, the more delicate and crisp they’ll be.
6. Space the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies feel slightly firm and the undersides are golden brown. Flip the cookies over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cookies are crisp and deep golden-brown on top. The baking times depend on how thin you cut the cookies.
Cool completely, then store in an airtight bin until ready to serve.

Storage
Once baked, the cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to two months, if well-wrapped.

Note
Large-crystal golden sugar, as shown, is available in specialty food stores, natural food stores, or online.



Speculoos


Makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients
3 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon(s) ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground mace
1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground white pepper
1 pinch(s) ground cloves
6 ounce(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup(s) packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup(s) water
Confectioners' sugar, for surface

Directions
1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, mace, white pepper, and cloves in a large bowl.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in half the flour mixture. Beat in water, then remaining flour mixture. Shape into 3 disks. Pat each to a 1-inch thickness, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Dust surface and springerle mold lightly with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to a 1/4- to 3/8-inch thickness (deeper molds will need thicker dough). Cut a piece of dough about the size of the mold. Press mold firmly into dough, flip over, and gently roll over dough with a rolling pin. Flip over, and press onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a knife, trim excess dough. Gently coax dough out of mold with fingertips and onto a baking sheet. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 inch apart, and placing same-size cookies on same sheet. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place 1 sheet of cookies in oven, and immediately reduce temperature to 250 degrees F. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are set and just beginning to turn light gold around edges, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.


Brusselse wafels


Serves 8

Ingredients
1 kilogram flour (2.2 lb)
30 grams of yeast (one package of fast-action yeast)
25 grams of brown sugar
1250 ml of lukewarm water (use tepid sparkling water if possible)
250 grams powdered nonfat dry milk
10 grams of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or one small packet vanilla sugar (about 2 teaspoons)
400 to 500 grams of melted butter
6 to 8 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Directions
For the waffle batter:
1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour: add the yeast and 250 ml of the lukewarm water.
2. Add the brown sugar, powdered milk, the vanilla extract or vanilla sugar, and the remainder of the water. Mix the dough well: allow to rise for at least 20 minutes - 1/2 hour. During this period, melt the butter. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
3. Add the melted butter: mix well. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, fold carefully into the batter mixture until evenly mixed through.
4. Heat a large waffle iron. Spread each section with the batter, close and bake until done.
5. Serve dusted with confectioners' / icing sugar, or topped with whipped cream and fruit, or with melted chocolate or Nutella.