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Angled view of quarkteilchen with red currants dusted with powdered sugar and torn in half.
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5 from 2 votes

Custard Pastry (Quarktelichen)

If a donut and a cheesecake had a baby, it would be this custard pastry! Traditionally named Quarkteilchen because they are made with German Quark, these are simple with a touch of lemon and the perfect weekend brunch addition!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Proofing time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: German
Keyword: custard, quark
Servings: 10
Calories: 334kcal

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Yeasted Dough

  • 350 grams all purpose flour
  • 12 grams instant yeast
  • 100 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 80 grams butter soft
  • 150 milliliters milk lukewarm
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Quark Filling

  • 20 grams corn starch
  • 110 grams granulated sugar
  • 300 grams quark or 5% fat greek yogurt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings

  • 20 grams butter melted
  • 50 grams frozen raspberries optional
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Instructions

Dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add in the flour, sugar, and yeast, then whisk to combine. 
  • Add in the warm milk, butter, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla. Use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough on medium low speed until smooth and the sides of the mixing bowl are clean. This can take 30 minutes.
  • Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl (can be the same mixing bowl).
  • Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic and place somewhere warm to rise for 45 minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and arrange two racks so that they divide the oven into thirds. 

Custard Pastry Filling

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the corn starch and sugar together.
  • Add in the quark or yogurt and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
  • Finally add in the egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Shape and Bake 

  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
  • Once doubled in size, lightly sprinkle the dough with flour and punch out the air from the dough.
  • Weigh the dough and then divide the number by 10. Use a bench scraper or your hands to divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
  • Shape each portion into a ball by gently flattening it out, and then tucking the edges under to create a taught surface.
  • Roll the ball of dough in a clockwise direction under the palm of your hand on a clean work surface. 
  • Starting with the first portion that you shaped, roll the ball of dough out on a lightly floured surface to 3" in diameter.
  • Continue rolling out each portion of dough and then place 5, evenly spaced, onto the lined baking sheets. 
  • Lay a kitchen towel over top of both baking sheets and leave them to proof for about 15 minutes, somewhere warm. 
  • They don't need to double in size, just become a little puffy.
  • When ready, press a well into the center of each portion of dough that is about 2" in diameter so that a 1/2" border is created around each pastry.
  • This is super important because it will help the filling stay inside.
  • Use a 1/4 cup ladle or a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the custard filling into the well in each pastry.
  • Optionally add a few red currants (about 1 stalk) or raspberries into the custard center.
  • Place the two baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes. 
  • Rotate and swap the baking sheets and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Once baked remove the baking sheets from the oven and place on wire racks to cool. 
  • Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl in the microwave and use a pastry brush to brush the butter onto just the dough border of the pastry, avoiding the custard center.
  • Leave to cool for about 15 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar when you are ready to enjoy. 

Notes

This recipe uses quark which is a German dairy product that is similar in taste and texture to greek yogurt but bakes more similarly to cream cheese. Here is a recipe to make quark if you can't find it at your grocery store. 
  • As with most yeasted doughs, be sure to knead to dough until it is smooth. For me this took about 15 to 20 minutes on low speed.
  • When shaping the dough into the individual ball portions, do your best to create a taught ball of dough with a smooth surface - this will create stronger and smoother pastries!
  • Be sure to cover the surface of the dough during all of the resting times to make sure that it doesn't dry out.
  • The filling ingredients will come together best if all are room temperature but it isn't really necessary.
  • Raspberries or red currants are my favorites for adding to these pastries!

Nutrition

Serving: 1pastry | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg