Cinnamon-sugar Buchteln

"Buchteln" are a traditional Austrian or Bavarian pastry made of a fluffy yeast dough. This recipe yields 4 individual dumplings which I bake in seperate souffé dishes or ramekins. They have a wonderful cinnamon-sugar-crust and are among my favourite pastries.

For the dough:

• 90ml milk
• 1 package dry yeast
• 40g sugar
• 270g plain flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp almond extract or 1/4 tsp Amaretto
• 40g salted butter at room temperature
• seeds of 1 vanilla pod
• 1 tbsp each of orange and lemon zest

For the soufflé dishes:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Carefully heat the milk and stir in the dry yeast, sugar, almond extract, vanilla, orange and lemon zest until the sugar has dissolved. Sieve the flour into a seperate bowl and add the flavoured milk mixture. Add the butter and egg yolks and knead until a smooth dough has formed. Cover the bowl with a hot, wet paper towel and a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

2. Melt the butter and brush each dish with half a tablespoon of butter, reserving the rest to brush the dumplings. Sprinkle the buttered dishes with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar each and add half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to each dish.

3. Divide the dough into 4 even parts and form 4 balls. Put each ball into an individual prepared soufflé dish, cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise for another 45 minutes. Brush with the rest of the melted butter.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and bake the "Buchteln" for 15 to 20 minutes until golden-brown.