grandma's plum kuchen

I had this great conversation with my five-year-old this evening before bed. We talked about candy and dentists and kids in Guyana chewing on sugar cane. Pete didn't know that it cost money to get a filling. He thought dentists worked for free. And he was surprised that some kids don't know about brushing their teeth or even have a toothbrush.

And I'm just really thankful that I have sweet treats in my recipe box like this one -- sweetened mostly with honey and just a sprinkle of granulated sugar. And the kids LOVE these.



"das Essen genießen" {enjoy your meal}

I have German heritage. And of course, my German Grandma has been making delicious food my whole life. Kuchen was a holiday tradition that we always looked forward to.

It's defined as a coffee cake raised with yeast, often containing fruit or nuts. But she somehow designed this recipe to be healthier, not so cakey, but still super tasty.

I took some process photos -- bubbling the yeast, defrosting the plums, stirring up the dough with Buzz, him placing the fruit...

It's not a hard recipe. Totally doable and the kids can help. :)








It's so super easy. And you could use apples or whatever fruits you enjoy! Let me know if you try it! :)

grandma's plum kuchen
it's a family thing

dough:
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey

topping:
3-4 cups fruit
sprinkle of sugar
sprinkle of minute tapioca

dissolve yeast in water and let bubble for 5-10 minutes
add flours, salt, oil and honey and let rest for 20 minutes, covered
prepare fruit -- {I cut plums in half and froze them last summer} defrost plums and drain

preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large baking dish {10x13}
your dough will be sticky, just dump it into your dish and use floured hands to press it into the corners
let rise for five minutes or so

sprinkle minute tapioca and sugar on the dough before placing fruit on it
sprinkle a bit more sugar on top if desired
bake for 45 minutes or until dough is golden brown