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close up of my mother in law's plum kuchen

MY MOTHER IN LAW'S PLUM KUCHEN

Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 2 11x16 pans
Author Breathing and Cooking

Ingredients

  • 6 1/2 to 7 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 packages instant dry yeast 4 1/2 tsp
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 36- ish Italian plums
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 crushed whole graham crackers

Instructions

  • For dough
  • In a large mixing bowl combine half of the flour (reserve the other half) and all of the sugar, yeast and salt. Mix well.
  • In a saucepan, warm milk, water and butter to 120-130°f (butter does not need to be melted). You can also do this in the microwave, just make sure not to overheat (it takes 1 1/2 minutes in mine)
  • Add the milk/water mixture and the eggs to the flour mixture and blend on low speed until moistened. Increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes, scraping once or twice.
  • By hand, gently stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until nice and smooth and elastic, about 5-8 more minutes. (if you prefer to use the mixer for the whole thing, see notes)
  • Place in a greased bowl, turning to cover, lay a clean towel over and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
  • Make The Topping
  • Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and crushed graham crackers in a bowl and set aside.
  • Halve plums and remove pits.
  • Assemble and Bake
  • Prep two 11x16" jelly roll pans by coating with cooking spray.
  • Once dough had doubled, punch it down gently and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half and roll each half into a rectangle approximately 11 x 16 (it doesn't need to be perfect). Place dough on each prepared sheet and use your hands to push/pull to the edges of the pan.
  • Arrange plums, cut side up, evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the crumb topping.
  • Cover and let rest about 30-45 minutes, or until nice and puffy.
  • Bake in a preheated 375°f oven, on the middle rack, for 18-25 minutes or until edges are just lightly golden.
  • Cool in pans and make sure to have at least one piece while still warm!

Notes

  • Subbing active dry yeast: the general rule is to use 25% more active dry yeast when a recipe calls for instant. I would use 5 1/2 teaspoons for this recipe. You'll also need to proof the yeast by combining it with your warm milk/water/butter mixture (instead of adding to flour) and letting it stand for 10 minutes (or until nice and foamy) before proceeding with the recipe. Note that the liquid needs to be a little cooler (90-110) when proofing the yeast.
  • If you want to make the dough completely in the stand mixer, start with the paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook just before you add the remaining flour. Scrape bowl and hook several times while mixing to make sure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Once it looks cohesive let it continue kneading on low for 2 minutes. The dough will climb up the hook, just stop the mixer, pull it down and continue kneading. Don't over work the dough, 2 minutes is long enough if kneading with the machine.
  • If you are using dark pans, reduce the temperature to 350 (dark pans cook quicker)

Measurements for half a recipe (1 Italian Plumb Kuchen)

  • 3 1/4-3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • 18 Italian plums
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 whole graham crackers, crushed