Butterkuchen Quick And Easy Pastry Recipes

BUTTERKUCHEN

Steps:

• Dough:Pour milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast evenly over milk, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, butter, egg, orange zest, and salt. Stir in flour (dough will be very soft and wet). Place dough in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough, and press into the bottom of an 8-inch round plain or fluted cake pan, making edge slightly higher than center. Cover, and let rise until puffed, about 45 minutes.
• Filling:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all filling ingredients until smooth. Press down center of risen dough, then pour in filling. Bake until golden brown around edge (filling will still be wobbly but will continue to set as it cools), about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature straight from the pan.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN BUTTER CAKE (BUTTERKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Place 4 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and make a hollow in it with the back of a spoon.
• Crumble fresh yeast or sprinkle dry yeast in the hollow and fill with the lukewarm milk. Add a pinch of sugar and mix a little to incorporate some of the flour.
• Let the sponge sit in a warm place for 15 minutes.
• After the yeast is activated and showing strong growth, add the salt, egg, 7 tablespoons of the softened butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar to the yeast mixture.
• Mix until the dough is smooth and forms a ball. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if necessary. Form dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, turning the dough once and cover. Let rise 15 to 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured board and transfer to a 15x10-inch jellyroll pan. Let it rest again for 15 minutes while heating oven to 375 F.
• Dimple the top of the dough all over, using your fingers or the back of a wooden spoon.
• Mix remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over dough. Cut remaining 9 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and spread it evenly over the dough.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake is done and the sugar/cinnamon mixture has melted together and caramelized a little. If you feel the need, turn on the broiler for the last 3 minutes of baking, watching carefully so that the topping does not burn.
• Alternatively, mix 1/4 cup of sugar with enough water (1/4 to 1/2 cup) to dissolve the sugar and brush this sugar water on the hot cake right after you take it out of the oven.
• This cake freezes well. After defrosting, crisp it up a few minutes in a 350 F oven.

BASIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.
• Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

BASIC PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse flour and salt to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 3 tablespoons more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).