"Buchteln" with Custard

"Buchteln" are oven-baked yeast dumplings, filled with either plum or apricot jam, and served with custard. They are a classic dessert for the winter months. But what is the "right" filling after all? Debates have been going on all over Austria for decades. We believe, there is no right and wrong - plum or apricot jam, they are both delicious!

How to make it

Step 1:

Remove all ingredients from the fridge 1 hour before preparing the dough.

Step 2:

For the dough:
Melt the butter, and heat the milk to lukewarm. Mix egg, egg yolk, salt, granulated sugar, lemon zest, yeast and lukewarm milk, and whisk with the melted butter. Knead with the flour for about 5 minutes to form a smooth, soft, pliable but non-sticky dough. Stop when the it removes itself from the edge (best done with a food processor/kneading hook). Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it has doubled in volume. Punch down once and let it rise for another 10 minutes.

Step 3:

Divide the dough into 30-35 small pieces. Flatten the pieces or roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 7-8 mm thin and cut out circles with 4 cm Ø. Add the filling of your preference (about ½ tsp each), best done with a piping bag. Pull the edges of the dough over the filling and seal well with your fingers. Dip the "Buchteln" briefly into melted butter and place them in a baking dish with the seal facing down, close, but not too close to each other. Let them rise again at room temperature for about 10 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel.

Step 4:

Bake the "Buchteln" in the preheated oven at 160 °C hot air for 30 minutes until they are light brown. Allow to cool lukewarm in the baking dish, so they stay nice and juicy. Turn them over, pluck them into pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Step 5:

For the custard:
Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape out the pith. Boil milk, cream, sugar and the vanilla in a saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the vanilla bean, and stir in rum. Serve the sauce lukewarm or cold together with the "Buchteln".

Tip:
If you prepare the "Buchteln" for "little gourmets", leave out the rum in the filling and custard!