Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

kuchen

(3 ratings)
bkzmom avatar
Recipe by
Sheila Kremer
@bkzmom
Tyndall, SD

This is the recipe that my grandmother and my mom use to make kuchen. It takes about half the morning to make the kuchen but the results are very much worth it. Mom and I bake these in my grandma's enamel kuchen pans which are over 70 years old and are the same size as a 9 inch pie plate but have shallow sides. Shallow 9 inch pie pans also work well for baking them.

(3 ratings)
yield 8 -9 kuchen - each serves 6
prep time 4 Hr
cook time 20 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For kuchen

  • 2 pkg
    yeast
  • 2/3 c
    water (110-115 degrees)
  • 1 Tbsp
    sugar
  • 1 c
    solid shortening (crisco)
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 4
    eggs
  • 2 tsp
    salt
  • 3 c
    milk, scalded and cooled
  • 10-11 c
    flour
  • custard topping
  • 3
    eggs
  • 3/4 c
    sugar
  • 3 Tbsp
    flour
  • 1 3/4 c
    heavy cream
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • cinnamon for sprinkling
  • fruit filling of your choice

How To Make kuchen

  • 1
    Soak the yeast in the 2/3 cup water with the one tablespoon sugar. Let set 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix the shortening, sugar and eggs with a mixer. Add in the salt and scalded milk. Add in the yeast mixture.
  • 2
    Mix in 3 cups flour. Add remaining flour a little at a time to make a soft dough. Grease a large bowl as you usually do for rising dough and place dough in bowl, flip the dough over to grease the top. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled--at least 1-2 hours.
  • 3
    While dough is rising, combine all ingredients for custard topping in 2 quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Be sure to stir it constantly as it will burn. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  • 4
    Once dough has risen, punch down dough and make into kuchens. I divide the dough in half and then divide each half into fourths. Grease 8 9-inch pie pans. I use non-stick spray. Form each piece of dough into ball and then press dough out and up sides of greased pans.
  • 5
    Add fruit filling to each kuchen. I use any of the following: cherry pie filling, cooked prunes, fresh sliced peaches or peach pie filling as well as cottage cheese filling. Top each kuchen with a few spoons full of the now cooled custard filling and spread across fruit. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Let kuchen rise 10 minutes.
  • 6
    Bake about 20 minutes at 350 or until edges are a light golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. As soon as you remove the kuchen from the oven, brush the edges with melted butter to keep them soft. You can leave them in the pans to cool. If I bake these in foil pans, then I just let them cool in the pan. Cover and store in refrigerator or place in ziplock bag and freeze. These freeze well and will taste great reheated in the oven or microwave.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
ADVERTISEMENT