Streuselkuchen vom Blech

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30x40cm rimmed baking sheet
• •Mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry scraper

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Warm the milk to blood heat, about 35C, because hot milk kills yeast and cold milk makes it sulk. Stir in the yeast and a spoon of the sugar, then leave it for 10 minutes until it looks creamy and alive. If nothing happens, start again. Flour is cheaper than a dead cake.

2. 2

   Knead the dough

   Mix the flour, remaining sugar, egg, softened butter, salt, vanilla, and yeast milk into a soft dough, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pull from the bowl but stay tender; too much flour makes the base dry, and Streuselkuchen needs a soft underlayer to carry the crumbs.

3. 3

   Let it rise

   Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm place until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. Give it time because yeast builds flavour while it lifts the dough, and a rushed base bakes flat and breadlike instead of light.

4. 4

   Make cold streusel

   Rub the cold butter into the streusel flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt with your fingertips until you have uneven crumbs, from sandy bits to pea-sized pieces. Keep the butter cold because cold crumbs stay distinct in the oven; warm butter turns the topping into paste. Chill the bowl while the dough finishes rising.

   Don't make the crumbs too even. The little bits crisp, the bigger bits stay buttery inside, and that roughness is the point.
5. 5

   Fill the sheet

   Line a 30x40cm rimmed baking sheet and roll or press the dough to fit it, pushing it into the corners without tearing it. Brush with cream or milk so the fruit and crumbs grip the surface instead of sliding off. If using rhubarb or cherries, scatter them evenly now; rhubarb brings spring sharpness, cherries bring the larder when the fresh season is shut.

6. 6

   Add the crumbs

   Scatter the chilled streusel thickly over the dough, squeezing a few handfuls lightly so some larger clumps form. Leave the cake to rest 20 minutes on the sheet because the dough needs to relax after shaping; skip this and it bakes tight under the topping.

7. 7

   Bake pale gold

   Bake at 180C for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are pale gold, the base is set, and the streusel feels dry and crisp when tapped. Don't bake it dark for drama. Butter and sugar go bitter if you push them too far, and this cake should taste of milk dough and browned crumbs, not scorched sugar.

8. 8

   Cool and cut

   Cool the cake on the tray for at least 30 minutes before cutting, because hot yeast crumb tears and makes the slices ragged. Dust with icing sugar only after cooling if you want it; put it on warm cake and it melts into a wet film. Cut into squares for Kaffee und Kuchen, coffee and cake, and put the crumbs that fall from the knife back on the pieces. Weggeworfen wird nichts.

Chef Tips

• •Use butter for the streusel. Margarine gives you a softer crumb and less flavour, and this is not the place to save two coins.
• •If using rhubarb, don't drown it in sugar first. It will throw off juice before baking and wet the dough; the streusel has enough sweetness to carry the sharp fruit.
• •For cherries, use drained sour cherries from a jar only if they're fruit in juice, not pie filling. Nicht aus dem Glas means no ready-made cherry sludge.
• •The cake is best the day it's baked, but it holds well overnight loosely covered. Rewarm pieces briefly at 150C if the crumbs soften.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the streusel up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator; cold crumbs bake better, so this helps the cake.
• •The yeast dough can rise overnight in the refrigerator after kneading. Bring it back toward room temperature before pressing it into the tray, or it will fight you.
• •Bake up to 1 day ahead for a potluck. Store loosely covered at room temperature, never airtight while warm, or the crisp topping softens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 110g)