Karamell Buchteln with Almond & Schmand

3h 20m

Karamell Buchteln are alpine sweets baked with caramelized nuts. They are made fairly quickly and, when freshly baked, are simply a dream. In this version, the Buchteln are made with almonds.

You can combine them with many things. Here, we finished it with a touch of schmand and spruce shoots. If you can't find schmand, you can use sour cream or crème fraîche.

Karamell buchteln is a typical dish from the Alpine region of Austria. My grandma always made those.

Add 500 g of all-purpose flour and 50 g of white sugar to a stand mixer bowl
Add 1 egg and 200 ml of milk
Add 42 g of fresh yeast and a pinch of salt
Mix with a paddle attachment on medium speed to form a smooth dough
Add 50 g of softened butter in pieces. Mix on high speed until the dough is elastic
Dust a bench with all-purpose flour. Tuck the dough under itself to form a tight ball
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm spot for about 1h until it doubles in size
Transfer the dough to the bench. Roll it to form a long tube
Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces
Form balls with the dough
Warm a saucepan on the stove over medium heat
Add 150 ml of cream
Add 100 g of butter and stir until melted
Add 200 g of white sugar to large, ovenproof skillet
Add ¼ cup of water. Cook over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until a dark caramel is reached
Deglaze with the cream and butter mixture while stirring. Let it reduce by ¼
Sprinkle 150 g of sliced almonds and stir
Add the dough balls to the skillet
Remove from the heat and let the dough rise for 1h until it doubles in size
Preheat the oven to 180 °C
Bake for 20-25m until deep golden brown
Add ¼ cup of mixed spruce shoots to 200 g of schmand and mix
Remove the skillet from the oven. Turn it over a plate to release the Karamell Buchteln
Plate a piece of the Karamell Buchteln along with some of the caramelized almonds
Top with the spruce shoots and schmand mixture. Add powdered sugar to taste. The Karamell Buchteln with almond & schmand is ready
Enjoy this experience from the Alps to your kitchen!