Pear Kuchen - active dry yeast

Method

• Make the dough: Warm milk to 110 degrees (or until warm to the touch), sprinkle with yeast, stir and let stand for 5 minutes until dissolved.
• Add butter and stir until mostly melted.
• Butter or oil a large bowl.
• In a second large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and egg yolk.
• Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
• Add warm milk mixture and stir until combined and dough comes together in a smooth, sticky ball, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
• (Alternatively, dough can rise in refrigerator overnight.)
• Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: Place a fine-mesh sieve on the rim of a medium bowl.
• In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Whisk in flour, egg, milk, salt, cardamom pods and anise seed.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, then whisk constantly until it starts to boil.
• Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 2 more minutes, then immediately pour mixture into fine-mesh sieve.
• Use a spatula to push it through sieve and into bowl.
• Let cool, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then stir in butter and vanilla.
• Press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
• Add butter pieces and toss to coat.
• Use fingertips to rub butter into dry ingredients until pea-size lumps form.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Roll out dough: Butter two 9-inch pie plates.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands gently knead it into a log.
• Divide log in half and flatten into discs.
• With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each disc into an 8-inch round.
• Transfer rounds to pie plates, pressing dough to edges of pan and just slightly up sides.
• Let rise for about 20 minutes while you prep fruit.
• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.
• Peel and core pears, then slice them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in a medium bowl.
• Sprinkle with sugar and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and toss to coat.
• Assemble the kuchens: Spread about 1/4 cup pastry cream on bottom of each kuchen, stopping 1/2 inch from edge of dough, then arrange pear slices in an overlapping circular pattern on top.
• Divide remaining pastry cream between kuchens and carefully spread it evenly over pears.
• Sprinkle streusel over both and bake in center of oven until dough is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• (If your oven cant accommodate both kuchens, refrigerate one while the other bakes.)
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Baked kuchens can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen up to 1 month.
• Rewarm before serving.