South Dakota Kuchen Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE BASE:

• 3 ¼ cups flour
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 package dry yeast
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. shortening, melted
• 1 egg
• Fresh fruit, such as berries of slice apples

DIRECTIONS:
Scald milk and cook until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/3 cup of the warm milk. Sift flour and set aside. Combine the dissolved yeast mixture, egg, salt and remaining milk. Add half of the flour and beat thoroughly. Add melted shortening. Add remainder of flour gradually and beat. Turn onto slightly floured board and knead well. Place in bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 ½ hours). Punch down and let rise again. Roll ½-inch thick and cut into kuchen size. Let rise another 10 minutes.

FOR THE CUSTARD:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pint cream
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 tbsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare custard and spread over risen kuchen dough, placing berries or sliced from on top. If the fruit is tart, sprinkle sugar on top, or sprinkle cinnamon on top of the plain custard to add flavor. Put foil around the edges so the crust doesn’t burn, removing foil for the last few minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.