Recipe: Our Family's German Kuchen with Fruit and Sour Cream or Evaporated Milk Custard Filling (and Cheese Variation)

Elly, here is the recipe. I had to write it down from notes on a piece of scrap paper. The Kuchen recipe seems to change a bit with each new generation. This yeast dough recipe is my generation's contribution to the original recipe. Before, everyone just made a white bread recipe and added more butter, eggs, and sugar or honey. I included the two basic fillings we make. My favorite is the original sour cream custard filling. The relatives in North Dakota and Canada usually make the canned evaporated milk filling (this is the previous generation's modernization of the recipe). They are both good.

OUR FAMILY'S GERMAN KUCHEN
Source: Nancy, CA
Makes 2 large coffee cakes or 6 kuchen, 48 servings

The kuchen freeze very well if well-wrapped.

FOR THE BASIC COFFEECAKE DOUGH:
2 envelopes dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
3 whole eggs
4 to 5 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup butter, softened

FOR TOPPING:
Drained canned or poached fruit slices, such as apple, peach, pear, or apricot halves (or pitted prunes that have been steamed to soften)
Sour Cream Custard Filling OR Canned Evaporated Milk Custard (recipes follow)
Cinnamon-sugar (for sprinkling on top)

TO PREPARE THE DOUGH:
Prepare dry yeast according to package directions.

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk, vanilla, and lemon rind. Beat in eggs. Stir in softened yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a medium-soft dough. Work in the soft butter. Knead in bowl or on table for 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary. When dough has been kneaded enough, it will be shiny and elastic and have small blisters on the surface.

Lightly oil or grease inside of a large mixing bowl and place dough back into the large mixing bowl. Turn dough to coat all sides with the oil. Cover with a clean towel. Allow dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. It has risen enough if it is no longer springy when two fingers are poked into the center of the dough, about 1-inch deep.

Punch dough down. Knead briefly. Shape as desired. Before baking, let rise again until almost double in bulk. Or, after punching down, cover bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days. It must be punched down each time it rises. It will rise very often during the first 3 or 4 hours, and it must be attended to or it will sour. After it has become thoroughly chilled, it will need to be punched down no more than twice a day.

TO MAKE THE KUCHEN:
After the dough is punched down, divide it into 6 equal parts. Lightly oil or grease 6 pie pans. Roll each portion of the dough large enough to fit into the pan and come up the sides to the top of the pie pan. Cover and let rise for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Put a single layer of drained canned or poached fruit slices, such as apple, peach, pear, or apricot halves, or pitted prunes that have been steamed to soften. The fruit should not be touching. Put enough of the Custard Filling to cover the fruit (or almost cover it). Not too full, or it will run over during baking. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 to 30 minutes or until filling is firm except for a very small portion in the center. The baking time depends on how much custard filling is poured over the fruit.

VARIATION:

KASE KUCHEN (USING COTTAGE CHEESE)
1 cup of small curd cottage can be added to the custard mixture. Also add an additional 3 tablespoons flour and a bit more sugar. This can be used to make a kase kuchen, omitting the fruit, if desired.

SOUR CREAM CUSTARD FILLING

2 cups sour cream (if using light sour cream, add 2 tablespoons of flour to the sour cream)
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup sugar (or more to suit individual taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients for the Sour Cream Filling together. Cool mixture before using or the heat will kill the yeast in the dough. Put mixture over fruit filled kuchen and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Proceed and bake as above.

CANNED EVAPORATED MILK CUSTARD

2 cups canned evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour

Mix all ingredients together in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until thick. Cool mixture before putting over the fruit-filled kuchen or the heat will kill the yeast in the dough. Proceed and bake as above.