Lucky Pigs

Every year on New Year’s Eve, I make lucky piglets out of yeast dough with the kids—they’re part of the evening’s festivities. They’re perfect not only for New Year’s Day, but also for children’s birthday parties or as breakfast pastries on a farm. I hope they turn out well, and I wish you a happy, healthy New Year in 2018.

Ingredients for about 20–25 little pigs:

500 g lukewarm milk, 2 cubes of fresh yeast, 200 g sugar, 14 g salt, 1250 g wheat flour, 2 eggs, 200 g butter, also warm.

Warm the milk with the butter, make a well in the wheat flour, add the yeast, sugar, and a little of the butter-milk mixture; let the yeast rise a bit, then add the remaining ingredients and knead the yeast dough thoroughly; let it rest (at least 40 minutes, preferably covered so it doesn’t dry out).

Bake at 180 degrees for about 15–25 minutes, depending on your oven, until golden brown.

Next, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5–7 mm. For each piglet, cut out one 8–9 cm circle and two 4.5 cm circles. The large circle serves as the face; cut out two nostrils in one of the small circles, and cut the second small circle in half down the middle (for the ears). Beat an egg and brush it onto the largest circle; firmly attach the ears and snout to it, and use two raisins as eyes, pressing them firmly onto the largest circle as well. Work quickly and bake the finished piglets immediately in the preheated oven. Once the piglets are done, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool slightly. They’re best eaten fresh or frozen while still lukewarm.

I wish everyone a happy New Year and good health, joy, and optimism for 2018. Yours, Katharina, the farmer’s wife