Schneeball – Sweet Pastry from Rothenburg ob der Tauber
A Schneeball (snowball), is a pastry made from shortcrust pastry and is especially popular in the area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Its name derives from its round, ball-like shape, with a diameter of about eight to ten centimeters, and its traditional decoration with white confectioner’s sugar. It is also called a Storchennest (stork’s nest).
This kind of pastry has been known for at least 300 years in the regions of Franconia and Hohenlohe (northeast of Baden-Württemberg) where it is very popular. Served only on special occasions such as weddings in the past; they are nowadays available throughout the year and can be found around Rothenburg ob der Tauber in bakeries, pastry shops, and cafes.
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
9 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
20 ml (4 tsp) Kirsch Schnaps
1 dash salt
750 g flour
1 liter sunflower oil for deep-frying
powdered sugar for decoration
Preparation:
Heat oil to 180 C (test: stick a wooden spoon into the oil and you will see little bubbles floating to the surface).
Combining all ingredients. Knead until the dough is smooth. Place for 30 min (or overnight) in the fridge.
Roll out the dough to rather thin circles (20 cm diameter).
With a pizza cutter or a regular knife cut long lines into the dough circles but they have to stop 1 cm before the dough edge.
Pick up the stripes in an alternating way. It’s like weaving, pick up every second or so stripe and roll it in your hands to form a snowball. Keep it loose, do not make it packed.
Place into the snowball tong – a sphere-shaped net that opens and closes.
Deep-fry the balls for 6 min in the hot oil.
Place the balls on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil, dust heavily with powdered sugar or a mix of sugar-cinnamon and enjoy!
