Cser Mama's Strudel Recipe
There may be some typos and some adjustments that need to be made to this recipe to help clarify steps and goals but here is my first go around at posting the recipe Cser Mama (who makes all these wonderful treats without using written recipes) and I (trying to capture and document and SHARE these wonderful recipes!) have been having fun with.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups Flour Unbleached, All Purpose or Wondra
1 tsp Salt
1 stick Butter
2 1/2 -2 3/4 cups water
1 tsp Vinegar
1 Egg
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.)
Add 6 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt to mixing bowl
of Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer. Pulse mixer blades to incorporate salt. Add
pieces of softened butter sporadically into flour. Turn mixer on low speed and
mix until flour looks like cornmeal.
2.) In separate bowl add egg and vinegar to 1 ½ cups of the water and mix.
3.) After flour, salt and butter are like cornmeal, replace whisk beaters with dough hook and add egg/water/vinegar liquid to mixing bowl while on low speed. Continue to add
additional water until dough is still sticky on sides of mixing bowl. . See picture for example.
4.) Knead
dough with dough hook alternating between medium and low speed. If dough seems
to dry, add a little more water. If too wet, add a little more flour.
5.) Knead
dough, alternating between low and medium speed for approximately 15 minutes. (not
necessary to alternate, maybe it doesn’t really matter. I just do ;-)
6.) Dust
countertop with flour, remove dough from mixing bowl and gently knead dough
between hands. (refer to video)
Note: Videos usually only play on regular
computers. For some reason, phones are not displaying videos posted on blog.
7.) Cut
dough into three equal parts and knead each portion for a few minutes till
surface is smooth and round.
8.) Roll
each portion of strudel dough into a flattened disk shape, wrap with Saran Wrap
and let rest on counter for approximately 90 minutes before stretching and
preparing as strudel.
Note: If prepping strudel dough
for future use, you can either store plastic wrapped portions in refrigerator for
a day or two, or you can place wrapped disks in freezer quality zip lock bags
for added protection against freezer burn and store in freezer for up to a
month or two. When ready to use, remove dough in advance to allow dough to
completely soften before attempting to stretch, this time will vary, depending
on room temperature, time of year, etc. Butter has to be completely soft in
dough to stretch to its full potential. Even the slightest thickness in
portions of the stretched dough can create a doughy clump in baked pastry that
can be disappointing. Will post pictures of what I mean as I get them, and I
will ;-) as I continue practicing this lovely little craft of “strudel making”
Stretching Strudel dough:
One portion of dough can be stretched over the surface of a
cloth covered 33in X 33in folding card table, or equivalent.
All sides accessible is preferred but some instructions encourage
at least three sides of area to have an edge where dough can be stretched over,
and then hang over, edges, implying that the end of a countertop could work if
card type table is not available.
Instructions for stretching dough:
1.)
Cover card table with clean table cloth and
sprinkle/dust cloth surface with flour.
2.) Unwrap
plastic covered dough and place in center of table and let sit until butter
softens all the way through.
3.) Stretch
dough starting from center and continually and steadily moving around the
table, inching the dough little by little into a very thin beautiful parachute
type covering…
It will take time to develop a sense of
knowing where to pull, and when…
How much is enough at one spot, and it being
time to move to another spot to begin again…
when it is necessary to put your hands,
palms facing down, to center(ish) from beneath the stretched dough and “carefully”
using the back side of your hands, to again, stretch the dough from the center…
4.) Once
dough has been stretched to cover table top and ends hang over the edges of the
table on all sides, wait a few minutes, maybe 5 or ten and allow dough to dry just
a bit.
5.) Trim excess dough edges that hang over sides so
that there is approximately 3 inches hanging on all sides (give or take. Don’t
measure, you just need it to overhang so that it doesn’t shrink up and no
longer drape over edges but you also do not want too much. Refer to pictures
for what I mean.
Strudel Filling Options:
Ingredients are for one leaf/portion of dough, that can be
cut in half and baked on cookie sheet.
APPLE STRUDEL
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Granny Smith Apples, peeled,
cored and sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup Bread Crumbs plain
3 to 4 Tbsp. Butter (unsalted)
Instructions:
1.)
Sprinkle dough with approximately 3 of the 4
Tbsp of melted butter, reserving some to brush outside of strudel roll before
putting in oven.
2.) Sprinkle
1/3 cup of bread crumbs evenly over stretched dough.
3.) Cover
dough evenly with peeled, sliced apples
4.) Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over apples
5.) Using
table cloth, fold edges over on ends/edges.
6.) Again,
using table cloth, roll strudel like a jelly roll from one end to the other.
(refer to pictures and video)
7.) Cut
roll in half with a sharp knife and carefully place on sprayed cookie sheet
8.) Brush
surface of strudel rolls with melted butter
9.) Bake
in preheated 400* oven for approximately 35 minutes till evenly browned. Rotate
cookie sheet half way through for even baking of both rolls.
CHEESE STRUDEL
Ingredients:
1 8oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
20 oz. Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
1/4-1/3 cup Sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp. Butter (unsalted)
Optional:
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2-1 cup White Raisins
Instructions:
1.
Beat cream cheese and sugar together with
electric hand mixer till smooth.
2.
Add egg
3.
Add cottage cheese and additional ingredients if
you like… lemon zest and raisins and mix with spoon till all ingredients are
evenly incorporated.
4.
Sprinkle dough with approximately 3 of the 4
Tbsp. of melted butter, reserving some to brush outside of strudel roll before
putting in oven.
5.
Evenly sprinkle cottage cheese mixture over
stretched dough.
6.
Using table cloth, fold edges over on ends/edges.
7.
Again, using table cloth, roll strudel like a
jelly roll from one end to the other. (refer to pictures and video)
8.
Cut roll in half with a sharp knife and
carefully place on sprayed cookie sheet
9.
Brush surface of strudel rolls with melted
butter
10. Bake
in preheated 400* oven for approximately 35 minutes till evenly browned. Rotate
cookie sheet half way through for even baking of both rolls.
CHERRY STRUDEL
2 cans Cherry Pie Filling
1 cup Cream of Wheat
4Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil
1/3 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup water
Instructions:
1.
Toast cream of wheat in oil for a few minutes.
2.
Add water and stir, set aside to cool
3.
When cooled completely, stir in 1/4 cup sugar
4.
Sprinkle
dough with approximately 3 of the 4 Tbsp. of melted butter, reserving some to
brush outside of strudel roll before putting in oven.
5.
Sprinkle cream of wheat mixture evenly over
stretched strudel dough.
6.
Spoon / sprinkle / splatter little clumps of
cherry pie filling evenly over surface of stretched strudel dough.
7.
Using table cloth, fold edges over on ends/edges.
8.
Again, using table cloth, roll strudel like a
jelly roll from one end to the other. (refer to pictures and video)
9.
Cut roll
in half and gently place lengthwise on sprayed cookie sheet.
10. Brush
surface with melted butter.
11.
Bake in preheated 400* oven for approximately 35
minutes rotating sheet half way through for even baking of both rolls.
12. Remove
and cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
Wondra flour is my mom's 1st choice flour
for strudel dough. The video where the stretched
dough is like a parachute was made with Wondra.
Not sure it makes a difference for me yet.
Maybe with more experiencing, I too will have
an opinion about which I prefer.
Mom showing me how she often measures her flour,
this is a "big handful"... ;-) so CUTE!!!
looks like cornmeal
15 Minutes of kneading, alternating between
low and medium speed
separate into 3 equal portions and knead
just a little to smooth and round
Roll into a flat disk and wrap in saran wrap
let dough rest for 90 minutes before stretching
uh oh! see the hole in my corner of the strudel dough?!
no problem! have even sprung bigger holes than that.
If there is enough stretch on the dough, often the holes
can be sent over the sides, but you have to be strategic
and I don't think i could explain it but at some point might
demonstrate it with a video. ;-)
 |
| excess hanging dough gets trimmed but as you can see, excess dough provides excellent patch material when holes develop |
 |
| It is not the end of the world when a hole develops, you can either patch it, or leave it and pretend it isn't there. I'm too new and anal at it so of course, I patched the holes just for fun. ;-) |
Half the fun was experiencing Mom's joy...
See the patch job?
Mom, removing excess dough from around edges.
I like using scissors to cut excess dough evenly.
Either way works ;-)
Sprinkle stretched dough with melted butter,
Toasted cream of wheat and sugar
Followed by the canned Cherry pie filling.
This had a little too much cream of wheat
and not quite enough cherries.
Remember to flip sides up and over before rolling.
After you have flipped sides up, pick an
end and roll using tablecloth to direct roll
And off you go, rolling your strudel using the tablecloth
I'm using a 90 inch round table cloth here.
I need to purchase a few 52 x 52 inch square ones maybe
Cut in half
Place on sprayed cookie sheet.
I use Trader Joe's Coconut Oil Spray
Sprinkle stretched dough with butter, plain bread crumbs,
Sliced apples and cinnamon sugar. Flip edges (I forgot on this one)
and roll it from one end to the other!
I forget to flip my side edges up and over so I ended
up having to tuck them under. Way nicer to flip them
before you begin to roll it.
Beautiful!!!
Preheated oven to 400 degrees for 35 minutes,
turning tray half way through for even browning
I forget to fold my edges over so I just tucked it under.
It is visible on the left strudel roll. Four pictures down, you can
see the difference of a folded edge and the finish of that left strudel.
Nothing to get worked up about. Seriously no big deal!
Perfect! Ready to come out...
Sharing my first Apple Strudel success with my sweet Momma...
Cheese Strudel
Apple Strudel
Cherry Strudel
Apple Strudel
Apple Strudel
Cherry Strudel
Cheese Strudel
Okay Friends... This is my first draft of the recipe. Beta Recipe! I will appreciate hearing back from everyone that tries it. If anything doesn't make sense please don't hesitate posting comments here on the blog so I can go in and edit the recipe and make the necessary adjustments to help everyone successfully master this very fun strudel making... for those interested, i mean ;-)
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