Kirchtagskrapfen

Marian Moschen’s Kirchtagskrapfen transmits a Tyrolean recipe from his neighbour. Its chilled wheat dough encloses dried pears, poppy, milk, butter, rum and whole spices between two thin sheets, then fries in the selected fryer route.

Dough butter and milk are warmed until the butter melts. They mix with wheat flour, salt, rum and supplied yolks in a bowl, and dough hooks knead for ten minutes. The dough forms a long piece, wraps in cling film and refrigerates for an hour.

The dried pears are cut small and cook in a pot of water for thirty minutes. Their cooking water drains away, and a food processor chops the fruit. Filling milk, rum, cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar and butter come to the boil, then leave the heat. The pear mixture and poppy stir in to make the filling.

The dough divides into four equal pieces. Two pieces roll very thin on a floured work surface. A whole egg is whisked and brushed over one sheet. Teaspoon-size filling portions sit about five centimetres apart, and the second sheet covers them. Fingers press the spaces between portions before the dough is cut into squares; the remaining half of the dough repeats this process.

The oil heats to 160°C in the selected fryer. The parcels enter upper-side down, turn when the underside is golden and fry briefly on the other side. Paper drains them before powdered sugar is dusted over them.