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Fluffy Buchteln from My Grandma's Recipe with Apple Filling

Prep
10 min
Bake
30 min
Total
40 min
Makes
10

Ingredients

  • 3 ¼ cups400 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • ¼ cup50 ggranulated sugar
  • ¾ oz20 gfresh yeastfresh. German recipes use either a 42 g cube of fresh yeast or a 7 g packet of dry yeast; one cube equals about two packets. In the US use active dry or instant yeast (one ¼ oz (7 g) envelope replaces half a cube of fresh yeast); in the UK, fast action dried yeast (7 g sachet per half cube), or fresh yeast from a supermarket bakery counter.
  • ½ cup120 mlmilklukewarm
  • 6 tbsp80 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1large egg
  • ½ tspsalt
  • ⅔ cup150 gfilling of your choiceI used preserved cooked apples, but apricots or plums are also very popular.

Method

  1. Make a well in the flour, crumble the yeast into it, sprinkle about half of the sugar on top and cover with the milk. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

  2. Add the remaining ingredients to this starter and let the stand mixer knead everything with the dough hook on the lowest speed.

  3. Once the dough comes together smoothly after 10 minutes, remove the dough hook, cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour.

  4. When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 8 to 9 pieces. I weighed the whole dough and then portioned the pieces one by one on the scale, so they are all the same size.

  5. Shape the pieces into tight balls and let them rest for 15 minutes, ideally covered with a kitchen towel.

  6. After resting, flatten each piece of dough in your hand and place a little of the filling in the center. Pinch the edges together in the middle, shape into a ball again and place it in a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

  8. Once the oven is hot, you can brush the buns with a little egg wash (egg beaten with milk or water) if you like. Bake the Buchteln for about 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

  9. They are best served still lukewarm with vanilla sauce.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/buchteln-my-grandmas-recipe/