Auszogne
Auszogne, also called Knieküchle, is a traditional pastry of southern German and Austrian cuisine. They can be found in a Bavarian, Swabia, Franconia, Austrian and Thuringia kitchen or bakery
In old times they were placed over the knee (Knee means Knie in German) and formed, therefor the name Knieküchle. Other names are: Kirchweihnudeln, Kerwa Kiachl, and Bauernkrapfen
The Auszogne are usually made of yeast dough, this can vary regionally but also slightly. What makes this pastry different, is that the dough is shaped so that the donuts are very thin in the middle. They also have a uniform thick bead on the outside.
They are fried in clarified butter or vegetable oil, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. An Auszogne pastry has a thin golden/brown rim on the bead as it floats on the hot fat during deep frying.
Auszogne, I call them Bavarian Donut, were formerly baked mainly in the harvest season and on holidays, especially to the Kirchweih town festival. In Franconia, the distinction is sometimes made between “Catholic” and “Protestant” cuisine, depending on whether the depression (Catholic) or the elevation (Protestant) is covered with powdered sugar. The Tyrolean “Kiachl” is eaten with jam, or sprinkled with sauerkraut, or powdered sugar and is a popular dish on Tyrolean Christmas markets.
Today, the Auszogne are eaten for afternoon coffee. when they are still warm. That’s when they taste great. This pastry is especially good when freshly prepared, because Auszogne from the previous day are neither crispy in the middle, nor have a fluffy edge.
A traditional South German and Austrian pastry. Similar like a donut, but instead of a hole, the dough in the middle consists of a thin layer.
“Auszogene” Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 cups flour
- Dash of salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 4 cups vegetable oil or clarified butter (Butterschmalz) for frying
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a hole in the middle.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it on the stove over low heat. When the milk is lukewarm, remove the pot from the heat.
- Attention! Do not let the milk boil. If too hot, it destroys the yeast cultures and the dough will not rise later!
- Add one pack dry yeast ½ cup lukewarm milk.
- Add the sugar. Stir, and wait 10 minutes until it bubbles
- After 10 minutes mix ingredients in the flour pan into a small batter.
- Now cover the bowl with a clean cotton cloth and leave it in a warm place for 10 minutes.
- While the dough rests, melt the butter. Make sure that the butter does not get too hot.
- When the resting time of the pre-dough is over, knead it with the flour and all the remaining ingredients.
- The yeast dough should be soft, but not sticky and separated from the bottom of the bowl.
- Make a dough ball, but leave it in the bowl and cover the bowl again.
- The dough now gets another 30 minutes rise.
- When doubled in size. take the dough out of the bowl and roll it out, about 1/3rd inch thick.
- Take a glass or cup with a round hole of 3 inch of diameter and use it like a cookie cutter.
- Cut out about 20 round slices that you place on the floured work surface.
- There, the dough slices should go another 15 minutes.
- While the dough slices are resting, you can heat the clarified butter (vegetable oil) in a large pot.
- Then pull out each dough slice, so that the dough in the middle consists only of a thin layer (I placed the dough over a soup ladle to thin the middle)
- Attention! pull slowly and carefully that he does not tear! The edge should have around a thick bead of ¾ inch. Overall, their diameter after removing about less than 5 inches.
- Now let the “Auszogne” slide into the hot oil one at a time.
- Bake the dough golden brown on both sides.
- Then remove the crispy pastry pieces from the oil and let it drain briefly on a piece of kitchen towel
- The finished “Auszogne” are sprinkled with powdered sugar and served on a plate.
- This pastry is especially good when freshly prepared, because Auszogne from the previous day are neither crispy in the middle, nor have a fluffy edge.)
Notes
The finished “Auszogne” are sprinkled with powdered sugar and served on a plate This pastry is especially good when freshly prepared, because Auszogne from the previous day are neither crispy in the middle, nor have a fluffy edge.
