If you’re unfamiliar with strudel, all you really need to know is that this dessert (of Austrian heritage) is a rollup of deliciousness. Flaky pastry dough is rolled out and spread with any number of fillings, then curled up and baked into a sliceable treat. It’s reminiscent of pie, but requires a fraction of the work. This foolproof recipe comes to us from Philly food blogger Marisa McClellan of Food in Jars, from her new cookbook The Food in Jars Kitchen. Using traditional apricot preserves, toasted nuts and a sour cream-enriched homemade dough, this makes an elegant pastry to serve at the end of a meal or with coffee.
Quick Strudel
| Yield |
| Makes 2 large strudels, each serving 12 to 14 |
| Prep Time |
Cook Time |
Total Time |
| 25 min |
45 min |
70 min |
Ingredients
- 2 cups/240 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 8 ounces/225 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup/240 ml sour cream
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup/240 ml jam
- 1 1/2 cups/180 g chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
- 1 cup/150 g golden raisins
- 1 large egg
Method
- In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, butter, sour cream and salt. Run processor until the dough forms a ball. Spread sheet of plastic wrap out on the countertop and scrape dough onto plastic. Wrap dough tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously dust your work surface with flour. Remove dough from the fridge and divide in half. Roll dough on prepared work surface to coat in flour, forming it into a chunky rectangle as you move it.
- Using well-floured rolling pin, gently work dough into 14- to 15-inch/36 to 38 cm square. Make sure dough isn’t sticking to board by using plenty of flour.
- Divide jam, nuts, and raisins in half. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Pour 1/2 cup/120 ml jam onto prepared dough and spread out to cover, leaving 1-inch/2.5 cm border along edge farthest from you. Distribute nuts and raisins evenly across jam. Starting at edge closest to you, begin to roll dough toward border. Wrap as tightly as you can without tearing dough.
- When you’ve reached other side, paint border with egg wash and roll strudel to close. Roll strudel so that seam is on bottom. Pinch ends to seal and carefully move strudel to prepared baking pan.
- Repeat process with second batch of dough, jam, nuts and raisins.
- Brush tops of strudel generously with egg wash. Bake until tops are deeply golden and the smell of toasted butter becomes impossibly delicious, 40 to 46 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and let strudels cool on baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully slide parchment from each baking sheet to wire rack to finish cooling.
- When fully cool, slice strudels into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces. They will keep on counter for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, leave strudel unsliced, triple wrap them in plastic, and stash them in freezer for up to 6 months.
