You will need: Fireclay bricks/grill grate
Fireclay brick: approx. 160-180°C
Top heat: approx. 280-300°C
Preheating: approx. 15 minutes
Working hours: 50 minutes
Cooking time sauerkraut: approx. 25-30 minutes
Baking time for the sauerkraut boats: approx. 20 minutes

Ingredients
(for 9-10 pieces)

For the sauerkraut:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 400 g sauerkraut
• 2 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• approx. 200 ml beer
• Salt, pepper

For the dough:

• 400 g spelt flour type 1050
• 10 g yeast (room temperature)
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• approx. 250 ml lukewarm water
• 80 g walnut kernels, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon caraway powder

For the vegan sour cream:

• 200 g cashew nuts
• 125 ml water
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp mustard, medium hot
• Salt

In addition:

• Apple slices and whole walnut kernels

For the sauerkraut:
Heat the Merklinger to approx. 280-300°C.

Heat a heavy cast-iron pot on the firebricks in the Merklinger.
Place the pan on the pull-out grill rack directly over the fire, heat the oil in it and sauté the diced onion and apple. Add the sauerkraut, juniper berries and bay leaf and pour in the beer. Allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes. Then season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

During this time, make the dough and the vegan sour cream.

First, carefully remove the pull-out grill grate from the Merklinger and replace it with the steel plate and the firebricks.

For the dough:
Pour the water into the mixing bowl of the food processor and dissolve the sugar, salt and yeast in it. Add the flour, walnuts and caraway powder and knead for approx. 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover and leave to rise in a dough pan or bowl for approx. 2 hours until it has doubled in volume.

For the vegan sour cream:
Bring the water to the boil in a pan. Add the cashews and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the water with the cashew nuts through a sieve and rinse the nuts briefly with cold water.
Place in a blender with the remaining ingredients, blend until smooth and season with salt.

For the sauerkraut boats:
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide into 9-10 equal pieces. Roll into round balls and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Then flatten the balls and shape into boats. Spread 1 tbsp vegan sour cream on each and fill with drained sauerkraut. Leave to rise for a further 20 minutes.

During this time, bring the Merklinger back up to the right temperature. The top heat should now be 280-300°C and you should measure a temperature of 160-180°C on the firebricks.

Pour the boats into the hot Merklinger and bake for approx. 20 minutes.

Decorate with apple slices and walnut kernels.

Tip: You can also prepare the sauerkraut in advance. It will keep for a few days in the fridge.