Auszogne

The Auszogne is a traditional fried dough pastry especially in Old Bavaria, Franconia, Thuringia and Western Austria. Depending on the region, the Auszogne is also called Knieküchle, Kiacherl, Kiachl, Knienudeln or Kirchweihnudeln. In many beer gardens Auszogne are offered as sweets or desert at the food stalls.

An Auszogne is usually made of pure yeast dough. After mixing all ingredients, the dough is formed into a ball and thereafter shaped so that it is very thin in the middle whilst the edges remain thick. It is believed, that some people bend the dough over their knee to achieve the right shape. That is where the name Knieküchle (literally knee cake) derives from. Thereafter they are fried in hot lard and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

In the past Auszogne were prepared mostly during the harvest season and on holidays, such as Kirchweih (parish fair) and Dult.

Auszogne Recipe

Ingredients for about 25 pieces:

• 500 g flour
• 30 g yeast
• 250 ml milk
• 60 g butter
• 60 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• the grated peal of 1 untreated lemon
• oil for deep-frying
• powdered sugar and cinnamon