Kuchen

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Custard

• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups 35% heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons flour

Filling

• 4 cups fresh fruit (saskatoons work best) OR dry curd cottage cheese

Method

Crust

1. Activate yeast in 1/4 cup water with 1 tablespoon sugar.
2. Melt the shortening in the milk in a saucepan over medium low heat, then allow to cool.
3. When milk is cooled, mix in the yeast mixture, egg yolks, and lemon juice.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt, and make a well in the centre.
5. Pour the milk mixture into the well in the flour.
6. Knead until a soft, sticky dough forms.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled.
8. Punch down and form dough into 4 equal balls.
9. Press or roll out each ball into a 9 inch metal pie plate.
10. Pour 1 cup of filling (fruit or cottage cheese) into each crust.
11. Let rise until dough is puffy around the edges - mix the custard and preheat the oven while this is happening.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Custard

1. Mix together all ingredients.
2. Pour 1/4 of the raw custard into each kuchen (over top of the fruit or cottage cheese) after the dough has finished rising.

Kuchen

1. Bake for 45 minutes, until crust is brown, custard is starting to brown, and the kuchen slips inside the pan.

Source

Waldbauer family recipe.