One of the things my children have been wanting to learn is
how to make Strudel. When I lived on the
Iron Range of Minnesota, an elderly friend taught me to make it. I have never found a recipe in any cookbook
that was made the same way as it was made up there in the North Country. My Aunt Betty made delicious Apple Strudel,
also, but not much of it got out of her house, with four sons and my uncle who
all loved it. My sons loved strudel so
much, they would volunteer to peel the apples if I would make it, and even sometimes
requested Apple Strudel instead of a birthday cake. I remember them coming in from their paper
routes at 6:00 in the morning and peeling apples on those days I agreed to make
it… before apple peeler/corers were available, or if they were available, they
were beyond what we could afford. So
this Christmas, my youngest son and his wife had a strudel lesson on their agenda. I must say, it was especially fun for me, as
all I had to do was sit my behind in a chair and give instructions! Donavon complained several times about his
back aching from standing and kneading the dough (we made two strudels and each
needs to be kneaded for 15 or 20 minutes) and he proclaimed a new respect for
all the times I made them strudel when they were children! He had no idea it was so labor-intensive! Of course, I sat adorned with my martyr’s
crown in humble acceptance of his praise. When it came time to stretch the second strudel,
Alyssa pushed him aside and did it herself. The photo below shows the strudel dough when she had it partially stretched.
Strudel:
Mix in large bowl:
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 ¼ cup warm water
I now put the ingredients in a food processor and zap it
quickly several times just until the dough forms a ball, but it can be mixed in
a bowl by hand, as well. Do NOT overmix
in the food processor, or the dough will break down and will not stretch
properly. Knead on lightly floured board
for 15 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and very soft and elastic. Add as little flour as necessary to keep it
from being sticky. As you knead the
dough, it will become less sticky so don’t be tempted to add too much flour. Put dough in a bowl that has a bit of oil in
the bottom. Cover strudel dough
completely with oil. The oil can be
returned to the bottle after you remove the dough the next day. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set
in a warm place overnight, or at least 8 hours, until dough rises and is soft
and pliable. Cover table with a large
tablecloth that has been sprinkled with flour.
Lift dough out of oil and let drain over bowl for a moment. Put dough in center of table. Begin to carefully pull dough outward from
center, and then using the palm of your hand and being careful not to tear the dough,
stretch dough out to hang over the table on all sides. The dough will be very thin and you can see
where the thick spots are and can put your hand in those areas to gently stretch
it thinner. Let the stretched strudel dry
for a few minutes. Melt ½ cup
butter. Drizzle over stretched dough and
then carefully pat it around so all dough is buttered. Don’t try to rub it, as you could tear the
dough. Dough will be fragile at this
point, so work quickly and carefully. For Apple Strudel, sprinkle buttered dough
with crushed cornflake crumbs or dried bread crumbs, to absorb some of the
apple juice. Skip this step of crumbs
for the Cheese Strudel. Spread with filling and tear off thick edges that are
hanging over the table edge. Roll up,
jelly roll style, lifting the edge of the tablecloth and gently shaking it to
begin rolling. Carefully coil strudel in
shallow roaster or large baking pan.
Drizzle with another ½ cup melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees about 40 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and
filling is cooked. Baste the top a time or two with the butter and juices that accumulate around the strudel. The strudel will puff
up somewhat, but fall a bit as it cools.
3# small curd cottage cheese, drained and rinsed in large
colander
4 eggs, beaten slightly
½ cup sour cream
1 to 2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon dill weed OR a handful of chopped fresh chives
Apple filling: (Shown below)
Peel and slice 3# apples
Sprinkle buttered, stretched strudel dough with dried
homemade bread crumbs or crushed cornflake crumbs. Spread apples over strudel. Sprinkle with about 1 cup brown sugar (may
substitute white granulated sugar).
Sprinkle with cinnamon. May add
chopped walnuts.
My neighbor, Rose, taught me about making the cheese
strudel, and it was one of the things that we always made when the Chives in
the garden began to grow in the springtime.
When I married Ted, he taught me to make it with Dill Weed, the way his
mother used to make it. My children and
I talked about how it would be interesting to sprinkle the cheese topping lightly
with fresh raspberries or blueberries before rolling it up. It will be fun to experiment with those
additions. Now, with many of my beloved
friends and my husband gone, these recipes help to keep them alive and close to
me in thought. I shared many good times
with them, and those thoughts are my company now when the nights are long and
lonely.
Speaking of times gone by, when having their strudel lesson
at Christmas, my children were coveting
