Flaky Strudel Dough Recipes

STRUDEL DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl of an electric mixer.
• Beat the egg and oil together with a fork in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add enough warm water to make 2/3 cup.
• Use a rubber spatula to mix the liquid into the flour; make sure no flour remains on the side of the bowl and clean off the spatula.
• Attach the dough hook to an electric mixer and mix the dough on low speed until it begins to hold together, about 5 minutes. Increase the speed a couple of notches to just below medium and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, another 5 minutes.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute. Coat a small bowl with a very thin layer of oil and invert the dough into it; turn the dough over so that the top is oiled, and directly cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap. Let rest for at least one hour or up to overnight.

FLAKY PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and toss to combine. With your fingers, begin to "smush" the butter into flat pieces. Continue smushing until all the butter is flattened but none of the pieces are larger than a quarter. The flour will look like coarse cornmeal.
• Add the water, quickly folding it in with a wooden spoon to distribute the moisture. (Do not stir vigorously--the dough should appear shaggy.) Use your hands to break up any large clumps of moisture. Then use your knuckles or a palm to smear the dough up the sides of the bowl (a technique known as fraisage). This distributes the butter over a larger surface to achieve larger flakes and compact the dough. Once you've gone around the bowl one time, fold the dough over itself a few times to pick up any dry bits from the bottom. Gently press the dough into a disk. (Note: The dough should remain very cool to the touch throughout the process. If it approaches room temperature, refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes to chill.)
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Perform a letter fold by folding one of the short ends towards the middle and the other short end over the first, like folding a business letter.
• Turn the dough 90 degrees, so the long side faces you, and perform a second letter fold. Turn the dough 90 degrees again; perform a third letter fold.
• If the dough still feels cool, it can be used immediately. Otherwise, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

STRUDEL DOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Mix sugar, eggs and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small bowl. Quickly stir into the flour mixture. Mix in approximately 1/2 the water. Knead into a soft, pliable dough, using more of the water as necessary.
• Cover dough with a tea towel and allow to sit at least 1 hour while desired filling is prepared. To use, divide into two parts. Cover half the dough with plastic wrap while you roll out the other.
• Carefully stretch the dough into paper thinness on a lightly floured surface (a clean cotton sheet is ideal) and lightly brush with remaining vegetable oil. Fill and bake as desired.

POTATO STRUDEL (ERDAEPFELSTRUDEL)

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a saucepan; add cold water to cover and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer 20 minutes or longer, until the potatoes are tender. Drain.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. Grate or, preferably, put them through a food mill or ricer. Do not use a food processor, or they will become gummy. There should be about 1 3/4 cups, the amount needed.
• Cut the bacon into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes to a saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until rendered of fat and golden brown.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned.
• Put the potatoes in a mixing bowl and add the bacon mixture, the parsley, salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks and blend.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter.
• Carefully lay out one rectangle of phyllo-strudel pastry. Brush it with half the butter. Carefully lay a second rectangle on top of the first. Brush it all over with the remaining butter.
• Spoon the potato mixture onto the bottom half of the strudel layer, leaving a 1-inch margin right and left. Using a spatula, carefully spread the mixture over the bottom half of the pastry (remember that this pastry tears easily). Fold over right and left edges of the pastry. Roll the dough bottom to top to enclose the filling in a sausagelike shape.
• Butter a large baking sheet. Carefully transfer the potato-filled pastry, seam side down, onto it.
• Place in the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until piping hot throughout and golden brown on top. Cut on the diagonal into slices about 1 1/2 inches thick and serve.

FLAKY APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Firstly, in a large bowl, add the flour and half of the butter which are cut into cubes. Rub in the butter to the extent where you can still see bits of fat in the flour. Add the water and mix to form a soft dough. Knead the dough against the sides of the bowl until all the crumbs have been incorporated into the dough. (don't be tempted to add more water). Wrap and Chill for 15 minutes.
• Pat the dough into a rectangle shape, and roll into a 40 x 20 cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Now using the other half of the butter which has been grated and left in a freezer for 5 mins, scatter half of the shards onto the middle third of the pastry sheet. With care, fold the left third up to cover the middle third. Scatter the remaining shards on top of the side currently folded, and fold over the last third of pastry.
• Making sure the open ends are the pointing north and south, taper the dough and roll into a 40 x 20 cm rectangle. Fold into thirds and leave to freeze for 5 minutes (which is quicker). Repeat this process 3 more times whilst remembering to rotate the dough so the open ends are north and south between rolls. Once the dough is completed leave to chill until needed.
• Pre-heat your oven to 210C/190C Fan. For the filling, add the apples, sugar, sultanas, water and cinnamon to a large saucepan and stew on a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until the apples are tender but firm; whilst stirring occasionally. Leave to cool completely.
• Roll the dough out into a 25 x 50 cm rectangle, until the thickness represents and one-pound coin. Trim the edges with a knife and split into two squares. Spoon half of the apple filing evenly onto one half of the pastry, brush the edges with egg wash and fold the pastry over and pinch down on the edges to create a seal. Brush the remaining top half of pastry with egg wash.
• With a sharp knife, make scores along the top with about half an inch of a gap, and sprinkle on the demerara sugar. Bake for around 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden, flaky and risen. Serve Instantly.

SOUR CREAM APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• For pastry, cut chilled butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add sour cream and salt, mixing well.
• Shape dough into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• For filling, combine breadcrumbs and melted butter; add apples, sugar, and cinnamon, mixing well.
• Divide chilled dough into thirds and turn onto floured surface; roll each portion into 15x12 inch rectangle.
• Spoon filling evenly onto each piece of dough and spread to within 1 inch of edges.
• Roll dough up from one long side, and pinch seams and ends to seal.
• Place the three strudels seam side down on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until light brown.

EASY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolks and vinegar, then water. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
• Divide dough in half. Roll each half into an oval on a lightly floured board.
• To fill, make inch-long cuts along the long edges of the oval. Add the filling in a stripe along the center. Pull the snipped pieces over the middle, alternating sides. Press the dough strips together along the top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Filling should be bubbly and crust should be lightly golden.