Tag: strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. These are exciting times for the Daring Bakers. I’ve reached a stage where the next challenge seems more exciting than the one gone by. Month after month, one keeps wondering what the next challenge is going to be, & the excitement is palpable. I checked a 100 times on the 1st of May but it hadn’t been posted, because we wake up to a new day before the West. Courtney aka Coco aka Glamah caught the buzz the minute it was posted, & twittered about it. I swooped down almost instantly. YAY…An ‘Apple Strudel’, with room for creativity on the filling. First thoughts:
YAY, no eggs (I love that)
A dough to knead…yes! And it was a simple dough at that, & LOW FAT!!

Stone fruits creeping into the market = YUM filling options!

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
Method:

• Combine the flour and salt. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour and knead to a soft dough. Continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally (check the hosts blog for making it by machine).
• Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).
• It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
• Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.
• The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

I love kneading doughs, however nonsensical that might sound, but I do find it therapeutic. This dough was no different. I kneaded it, I flung it on the counter several times…& I think the more you hit it, the better it gets. Was beautiful to work with after 2 hours of rest, and overnight on another occasion. I divided it into 2 because I wanted to ambitiously try 2 different sweet fillings, & almost got cold feet halfway through. It’s the peak of summer here & the market is flooded with stone fruits. Apricots, plums & mangoes were just surfacing in the first week of May, so my strudels got ‘stoned’! Mango strudel
adapted from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
Ingredients:
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup vanilla sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (made from 3 slices of fresh brown bread, edges trimmed)
1 recipe strudel dough (recipe above)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 ripe mango, peeled & chopped (300-350gms)Method:

• Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.
• Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper).
• Make the strudel dough as described below. I used 1/2 of the dough & half filling ingredients for the each variant.
• Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands).
• Sprinkle the buttered dough with 1/2 the bread crumbs. Spread 1/2 the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the mangoes with the raisins & the vanilla sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.
• Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
• Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.
• I made this little ‘pouch strudel’ with the left over trimmings…

Check for some handy tips on the hosts blogs – Courtney of Coco Cooks and Linda of Make life sweeter! Apricot and plum strudel
Sugar roasted fruit and toasted walnuts make a fabulous filling for sweet crisp strudel
Inspired by Mike Robinson, as adapted from UKTV Food
Ingredients:
250g apricots & plums
1 sachet of vanilla sugar (or icing sugar, for dusting)
Handful dried cherries (snipped)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,
1/2 tbsp cornflour
Juice of 1/2 lime
50g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp vanilla sugar (or golden caster sugar)
1/2 quantity strudel dough Method:

• Peel, core and slice the apricots and plums. Lay them on a baking tray and dust with vanilla/icing sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool and then transfer to a large bowl.
• Stir in the fruit, lime juice, cinnamon and cornflour. Mix well.
• Then follow the recipe for the mango strudel above.

They were pretty straightforward to make, & very really scrumptious because of the crisp breadcrumbs within. I think the pastry works better if rested overnight, and is one of the simplest I’ve ever made. Apple strudel has been on my to-do list for absolutely ages, ever since I saw it on Manggy’s blog ages ago. I went on to make a savoury version too a few days later as I was quite taken in by the ease & lightness of the dough. I did this one with shredded grilled chicken, roasted red bell peppers, mango/peach salsa & mozzarella. This savoury version was very delicious too, & served as part of the main meal.

THANK YOU Courtney and Linda for hosting a great challenge … Please do stop by at the Daring Bakers blogroll and take a look at all the fantastic strudels Daring Bakers across the globe have rolled out!