German Fruit Square Pastry Food

25 TRADITIONAL GERMAN DESSERT COLLECTION

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a German dessert in 30 minutes or less!

HUNGARIAN FRUIT SQUARES

Steps:

• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut in butter until pea-sized crumbs form. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix dough well.
• Separate out 1/4 of the dough and chill in the refrigerator. Press remaining dough into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 15 1/2x10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan. Spread apricot preserves on 1/2 the mixture and raspberry preserves on the remaining 1/2.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out onto a lightly floured board. Cut into 1/2-inch strips and place diagonally across the preserves to form a lattice; press around edges to seal.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool and cut into squares. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar; this keeps cookies from sticking and looks nice, too.

SCHNITZBRODT (GERMAN FRUIT BREAD)

Steps:

• Cover mixed dried fruit and apples with boiling water in saucepan and soak overnight.
• Next morning, cook until fruit is quite soft, about 15 minutes, then drain well in a colander.
• Chop or cut up fruit.
• Soften yeast in lukewarm water, add 1 Tbsp sugar and let stand 10 minutes.
• Add milk.
• Add 1 ½ C flour to make a sponge and set aside until bubbles break on top.
• Cream butter in a large mixing bowl.
• Add 1 C sugar and cream well.
• Mix in beaten eggs.
• Add the sponge, chopped fruits, salt, cinnamon, raisins, currants and nuts.
• Beat in 3 cups flour.
• Divide dough into fourths.
• Take out ¼ of the dough and knead on a floured pastry cloth or board adding enough flour to keep the dough soft but not sticky.
• Continue doing this 3 more times until all the dough has been worked up, then knead it all together.
• Lightly oil a clean bowl, take dough and run the top around the inside of the bowl, place it in the bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
• Knead lightly, divide into 4 portions and shape each into a loaf, place in greased loaf pans.
• Cover and let rise until double.
• Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° and bake 45 minutes longer or until done.

QUARK-TASCHE ( GERMAN CHEESE PASTRY )

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Combine quark, lemon juice and 3-4 tsp sugar. Taste and adjust juice and sugar to taste if necessary.
• Add egg and stir to combine.
• Unroll crescents and separate into large (roughly) squares (two per package of dough). Pinch together seams as much as possible.
• Measure out about 2 Tablespoons of cheese mixture and place in center of square.
• Take hold of two opposite corners of dough and bring to a point in the center, bringing the other two corners in to meet them, so that you are left with roughly a square filled pastry.
• Sprinkle squares with about 1/2 tsp sugar each and bake for about 14 minutes or until browned and puffed.
• Allow to cool and enjoy at room temperature.
• Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.