Berta’s Real East-Prussian Streuselkuchen -Berta's Table

Berta’s Real East-Prussian Streuselkuchen

(American kitchen version – one 9×13 pan)

Yeast Dough

• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 packet (2¼ tsp) active dry or instant yeast
• 1 cup (240 ml) lukewarm whole milk
• ⅓ cup (67 g) sugar
• 6 Tbsp (85 g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk
• ½ tsp salt
• Zest of ½ lemon (or ½ tsp vanilla if you don’t have lemon)

Fruit

• 2½–3 lb tart plums (quartered) or tart apples (peeled, cored, sliced) (In winter: 3 lb sliced apples + 2 Tbsp sugar)

Streusel

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup  sugar
• 10 Tbsp  cold butter, cubed
• Pinch salt (¼ tsp cinnamon optional)

Quick method

1. Bloom yeast in milk + 1 tsp of the sugar 5–10 min.
2. Mix flour, rest of sugar, salt, zest. Add yeast-milk, melted butter, egg + yolk. Knead 5–7 min until smooth. Cover and rise 1 hour (or until doubled).
3. Grease 9×13 pan. Press dough in evenly, pushing up a small edge. Rise another 20 min.
4. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
5. Lay fruit in neat rows, pressing lightly into dough.
6. Make streusel: rub cold butter into dry ingredients until big pea-to-hazelnut crumbs. Scatter thickly over fruit.
7. Bake 40–50 minutes until streusel is deep golden and juices bubble.
8. (Old-woman secret) Brush hot streusel lightly with 1 Tbsp melted butter and sprinkle with vanilla sugar or plain sugar.

Cut into squares, serve warm or room temp with coffee.