Saxon pastries such as Meißner Fummel

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g flour
• 50 g butter
• 2 pinches of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

legendary pastry from the time of August the Strong

First, mix the flour with sugar and salt, then knead in the butter until the flour becomes crumbly. Slowly add enough water until the dough is smooth. Continue kneading for another ten minutes. Wrap in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Divide the dough into four portions and roll out very thinly on a floured surface. Now comes the difficult part. Brush half of the edge with the beaten egg yolk, fold the other half over and press down firmly. In my personal experience, the rest works better if you brush the edge again with egg yolk, fold it over thinly and press down firmly. Pierce the resulting dough pocket with a straw and blow in air to create a small balloon. For me, sticking it once got most of the air out again. Then folding it in again worked. Pull out the straw and press the opening shut. The Meissen pros inflate the thing almost to the size of a balloon. This isn’t absolutely necessary for amateur bakers, however, as the air expands in the oven, creating the desired balloon effect. Bake in an oven preheated to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until the surface is lightly browned. This took me about ten minutes. Let it cool before serving and dust with powdered sugar. Because of its funny name, the Fummel is often featured on quiz shows. It is said to have originated in the early 18th century, when Augustus the Strong in Saxony was so annoyed that drunken postal riders were always losing mail or delivering it damaged. He then commissioned the Meissen bakers to make extremely fragile luggage that could only be delivered safely by the riders while sober. This is how the Fummel, which is still served in Meissen today, was born. The actual recipe is kept secret, but this version is certainly close. The pastry has a very neutral flavor and has remained popular regionally mainly because of its history and unusual shape.