1. Add the lukewarm milk to the bowl of a food processor, crumble the baker’s yeast, add together with some of the sugar to the milk and mix to combine – you want the yeast to be completely dissolved. Cover the bowl and let sit and bubble for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the remaining sugar, flour, salt, the egg, the softened butter, and the maple syrup to the bowl and knead for about 10 minutes until you get a smooth dough. If the dough is too soft and sticky add a bit more flour. The dough should come off the sides of the bowl to some extent. Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 60-75 minutes. The volume should have pretty much doubled.

3. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Peel, core, and dice the apples. Add them to a small pot and drizzle with the lemon juice, so they won’t brown. Add water, sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and vanilla extract to the pot as well and mix to combine. Let the apples simmer over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often. You want the apples to get a bit softer (but not mushy) and the liquid in the pot should have thickened nicely. Remove from the heat and let cool down.

4. For the streusels, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and butter in a bowl and rub between your fingers until you get different-sized streusels. Place them in the fridge until needed.

5. Grease a large baking dish* (approx. 10×8 inches) well. Knead the dough again briefly on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Pull each piece of dough slightly apart to form a small dough circle, then spoon about 1 tablespoon of the apple filling on top. Pull the edges of the dough circle over the filling and press together to completely enclose the filling. Place the parcels with the apple filling, smooth side up, in the mold. Cover and let rise once more for about 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush the Buchteln/rolls with the melted butter and sprinkle with the streusels. Bake for about 28-30 minutes. The rolls should have risen nicely and gained some color. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. If desired, dust with a little confectioners’ sugar before serving and serve with vanilla sauce or similar.