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St. Nicholas sweetbread Devils - Krampus recipe

There is really no need to be afraid of this sweetbread devils...

History and tradition behind these sweetbread devils

In European folklore, the prominent character is St. Nicholas, a saint from the 4th century who joins the ranks of gift-givers visiting children during the month of December. In contrast to the popular image of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas is accompanied by devilish creatures that sport a half-goat, half-human appearance complete with horns, fur, red tongues, and chains, intended to instill fear in naughty children.

On December 5th, many households engage in the tradition of baking petite sweetbreads shaped like these monstrous figures. Come St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, these delectable treats are consumed, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

The sweetbread devils are typically crafted from a straightforward yeast dough, and children often participate in the creative process, making it a delightful family activity. The magic of kneading and allowing the dough to rise adds to the festive spirit. The provided ingredients are sufficient to produce 4-5 pieces of these unique and delicious treats.

For sweetbread dough you'll need:

500 g of white all purpose flour,
70 g sugar,
1 bag of vanilla sugar or a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring,
1/4 teaspoon salt,
7 g of dry yeast,
200 ml of warm milk (not hot!),
2 tablespoons of sour cream
50 g of softened butter,
2 eggs,
teaspoon of rum (optional).

To decorate:

raisins for the eyes,
cranberries or candied cherries for the tongue,
1 egg to coat the dough

Preparation:

Put the flour into a mixing bowl, make a hole in which you put sugar and dry yeast. Add salt to the edge of the bowl.
Gently heat the milk with the butter to dissolve the butter completely. Add beaten eggs, sour cream and rum to the mix. Stir, then pour over the dry ingredients.
Knead with a mixer and dough attachments for about 15-20 minutes to form an elastic lump that glows and separates nicely from the edges of the bowl. If the dough is too soft, add some more flour while mixing. Of course, you can also knead the dough with your hands.
Cover the dough and leave it to rise twice it's volume.
Divide the dough into 4 or 5 parts, depending on how many devils you want. Place each one on a floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of 1 to 1.5 cm.
With scissors make an incision about 5 cm deep at the top and bottom in the middle to form the legs and horns. Stretch the legs in the shape of the letter O. With scissors make notches about 1 cm deep. Stretch the horns slightly to the shape of the letter V, bend each and fold outwards and downwards (see picture).
Place the devils on a baking tray lined with baking paper (two on one baking tray because the dough rises and spreads during baking. Let the devils rest for about 15-20 minutes to rise a little more.
Before you push them into the preheated oven, coat them with beaten egg. Print in raisins for the eyes and nose and candied cherry or cranberry for a tongue. They can also be "hairy" if you sprinkle them with poppy seeds or sliced almonds.
Put devils in a preheated oven at 170 - 180 degrees C (each tray separately) for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Have a nice celebration of St. Nicholas day!

Bojana