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 ghee 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
- ghee for deep-frying
- powdered sugar and cinnamon for covering
First mix flour and yeast in a bowl and let it stand covered by a towel for a while. Thereafter add medium warm milk and the rest of the ingredients, knead the mixture until it is a smooth dough. Now let it stand covered for about 30 minutes. Form with the hands balls in the size of a chicken egg and let it rest covered for another 15 minutes.
Heat up the ghee.
Take a ball in both hands, press the middle and stretch it to a size of about 10cm. The middle should be very thin, so that one can see through. The edge should be about 2cm thick. Carefully slight the dough into the hot ghee and pour some hot ghee with a spoon over it. That is important so that the dough blows up and the middle creates a bubble. Turn the dough and take the ready Auszogne out when it is golden brown. Place it on a kitchen paper to let the oil drip-off. Thereafter sprinkle some powdered sugar and cinnamon over the Auszogne whilst still warm.
