Kuchen

Growing up my mom and aunts would make a wonderful German dish called Kuchen.  It's amazingly delicious!  It's a sweet dough, with fruit on the bottom and then topped with custard.  It's not overwhelmingly sweet though, it's the perfect balance of sweet bread and creamy custard goodness.  Thanks to my Mom who taught me how to cook/bake and my Great Aunt's recipe now I can make it.  The last two time I have made it, I have been asked what it is.  So, I thought I would share the process of making it and the recipe. 

Fresh fruit for part of the filling, apples and peaches.

Fresh blueberries being made into pie filling

Sliced apples waiting to be mixed with in with the ones that already have cinnamon and sugar

Sliced peaches, lightly sprinkled with sugar

Blueberry pie filling

10 cups of flour, 2 cups boiled water, 2 cups scalded milk, 3 eggs and oil mixed with sugar

3 pkgs. rapid rise yeast

3 pkgs. of yeast and 3/4 cup of the boiled water, that is now luke warm

Sweet dough before the flour is added

Dough with the flour added, before raised to double in size

The dough has doubled!

For the custard, 8 eggs and 1 quart of heavy whipping cream

The custard starting to cook

Finished custard

Dough all pressed into pie pans

Fruit on the bottom

Topped with custard

Sprinkled with cinnamon.  (This is a must!)

Had some left over dough and made some buns

They're really yummy too.  Especially, when still warm and you put some butter on them

4 finished kuchen

One dozen finished kuchen

See all the nice layers?!  Yum!!!

Kuchen, it's delicious and worth the time it takes to make it

Kuchen takes a long time to make, but the end result is totally worth it.  The first time I made them by myself it took somewhere between 6 and 7 hours.  This last time was much better, it only took 3 hours and 45 mins.  Pretty much cutting my time in half was great.  So, on to the recipe. . .


Sweet Buns
2 cups milk (scalded and cooled to luke warm)
2 cups boiled water (cooled to luke warm)
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
3 pkgs. yeast (dissolved in 3/4 cup of the boiled water that is now luke warm)
10-12 cups flour

Mix all the ingredients except the flour.  Then once everything is well mixed add the flour one cup at a time.  Knead until smooth, dough will be soft and sticky.  Grease the bowl and cover with a dish towel, then let dough raise until doubled.  Once doubled knead twice before shaping into bottom of pie pans.  Don't let raise while in the pie pan. Top with fruit of choice and then fill with custard (see custard recipe below). 

**Note: if you are using this recipe for buns, knead twice before shaping into buns and then let rise until double in size before baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. or until golden brown and brush with butter.

Custard Filling for Kuchen
1 qt. heavy cream
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt
3 tsp. vanilla

While the dough is doubling mix all the above ingredients in a pan and simmer on low-medium heat until thick (pudding like consistency).  Stirring constantly as it can scorch easily.  Stop cooking before it sets.  Once finished pour over fruit and sweet dough in prepared pie pans, then spinkle with cinnamon.  Bake kuchens at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins. or until set and edges of dough are golden brown.  Cool and enjoy!

Yields: 12 Kuchen

**They freeze well and make a great breakfast, just take out of the freezer the night before to thaw.