DOUBLE PLUM PIE

INGREDIENTS and INSTRUCTIONS:

YEAST DOUGH:
500 g all purpose flour
280 - 300 ml of lukewarm milk
1 dry yeast or 20 g of fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
50 g sugar
60 g butter
1 tablespoon rum
2 egg yolks
grated lemon zest

SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
300 g flour
200 g COLD butter
100 g sugar
grated lemon zest

CHEESE STUFFING:
1 kg curd cheese
2 eggs
sugar (quantity as desired)

PLUM LAYER:
1 kg fresh plums
brown sugar (quantity as desired)
cinnamon (quantity as desired)
chopped almonds

INSTRUCTIONS:

YEAST DOUGH:
Knead a pliable dough from the listed ingredients.
Heat the milk to make it lukewarm.
Dissolve the yeast in 50 ml of lukewarm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Heat the butter (do not melt it).
Put the flour in a bowl. Make a hole in the middle, where you pour the fermented yeast and milk. Mix with a portion of the flour into a thick paste.
Add salt (be careful not to get in contact with the yeast mixture), sugar and egg yolk on the flour along the edge of the bowl. Mix with electric mixer, then add rum and butter. Knead until the dough is completely smooth.

When making yeast dough, the kneaded dough has to have some rise time. During rising, the yeast ferments (eats) the sugar and develops the dough. Rising also improves the flavor and texture of the dough.
After kneading, round your dough into a ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled, large mixing bowl. The dough should be turned over to oil the top so that it doesn’t dry out. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, foil, or a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F – 90°F; higher temperatures may kill the yeast and keep the dough from rising; lower temperatures will slow the yeast activity which will increase your rise time.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
Knead the dough QUICKLY and refrigerate it for half an hour.

CHEESE STUFFING:
Mix curd cheese with sugar and eggs.

PLUM FILLING:
Pit the plums and cut them.

ASSEMBLING A PIE:

Roll out the rised dough on a floured surface and into a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the baking tin in which the pie will be baked (see pictures of the process).

Grease the baking pan with butter and sprinkle with flour (DO NOT USE BAKING PAPER!)

Place the circle of the dough on the bottom of the baking tin so that it is spread over its edge.

Spread the CHEESE FILLING over the dough.

Grate HALF of the SHORTCRUST PASTRY and put it on the cheese filing.

Load the pitted PLUMS, sprinkle them with cinnamon, sugar and chopped almonds.

Then add another layer of grated shortcrust pastry.
Sprinkle the surface with BROWN SUGAR.

Fold the yeast dough, which extends over the edge of the baking pan, over the filling and brush it with melted butter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated static oven at 190℃.