Apfel-Streusel-Kuchen vom Blech (yeasted apple streusel tray bake)

Method

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt and yeast together, then add the lukewarm milk, melted butter and egg. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
2. Cover and prove in a warm spot for 45 minutes, until roughly doubled.
3. Combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the apples have softened but still hold some shape. Cool slightly.
4. Make the streusel: rub the cold butter into the flour and sugar with your fingertips until it forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Chill until needed.
5. Press the risen dough out onto a lined baking sheet, about 40 by 30 cm, going right to the edges. Let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
6. Spread the apple compote evenly over the dough, then scatter the streusel over the top in an even, generous layer.
7. Bake at 190°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until the streusel is solidly golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in the tray before cutting into squares.

Method in the Thermomix

Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers the apple compote; the dough, streusel and baking are the same as the hand method.

1. Apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon into the bowl. Cook 10 min / 100 °C / reverse / speed 1, measuring cup off, until softened but still holding shape.
2. Cool slightly, then spread over the dough and continue as in the hand method.

Notes

• Cooking the apples first is what keeps this tray bake from turning soggy underneath. Raw apple releases a lot of juice as it bakes, and a full sheet of dough under streusel has nowhere for that liquid to go.
• A soft, slightly sticky dough is correct. Adding extra flour to make it easier to handle gives a denser cake than the tray-bake tradition calls for.
• Keep the streusel cold until it goes onto the tray, for the same reason as any other streusel cake.
• It keeps for 3 days at room temperature, covered, and is best the day it is baked while the streusel is still crisp.

Ingredient substitutions

• Apples can be part-replaced with pears for a lighter flavour, using the same cooking method.
• Instant yeast can be swapped for fresh yeast at roughly three times the weight, crumbled into the lukewarm milk with a pinch of the sugar and left for 10 minutes until foamy before mixing in.
• A handful of raisins, added to the compote in the last 2 minutes of cooking, is a common traditional addition.
• For a nuttier streusel, replace 40 g of the flour with 40 g of finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts.