German New Year Pig-Shaped Yeast Pastries
Ingredients
- 550 g flour
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- 250 ml milk
- 50 g butter
- 80 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk, for brushing
- 1 tablespoon milk, for brushing
- 36 raisins
- flour, for dusting
Preparation
Place flour in a bowl and form a well in the center with your hands
Crumble the yeast into the well and sprinkle a little sugar over it
Warm 125 ml of milk until lukewarm and pour half over the yeast
Stir briefly with a fork, then let rest covered for 15 minutes
Warm the remaining milk, butter, and sugar in a pot until the butter melts, then remove from heat and let cool
Add the milk-butter mixture to the flour-yeast mixture, along with the egg and salt
Knead with the dough hooks of a hand mixer for 5 minutes until a dough forms
Cover and let rise for 30 minutes
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thickness
Cut out 18 circles using an 8 cm round cutter and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Roll out the remaining dough
Cut out 18 small circles using a 3 cm round cutter and poke two small holes in each circle
Roll out the remaining dough into a long shape and cut out 36 small triangles
Preheat the oven to 175°C (convection: 155°C)
Whisk the egg yolk and milk together
Brush the large circles with the mixture
Place one small circle on the lower half of each large circle and press gently
Press the dough triangles at the top right and left, overlapping slightly
Place two raisins above the nose for eyes and press in gently with your fingers
Brush the nose and ears of the piglets with the egg-milk mixture
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown
Let cool completely
Notes
Some people give a New Year's pretzel as a gift, while others give a little lucky piglet
Photography by Maria Panzer
