Bubbe Eva’s strudel recipe

Mike Sherwin
Bubbe Eva’s strudel recipe

MARGI LENGA KAHN

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 cup dairy sour cream
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1- 16 ounce jar ounce jar each strawberry, apricot, and pineapple preserves
  • 1 box golden raisins
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1- 14 ounce bag sweetened coconut flakes, toasted if desired
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar plus additional, as needed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus additional, as needed

Directions:

To prepare the dough, combine warm melted butter or margarine in a large bowl.  Stir in sour cream.  Gradually add 2 cups of flour, mixing continuously with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.

Gather doug onto a piece of parchment paper and roll it into a log. Twist ends of paper to seal. Set log of dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and as long as overnight. (Dough may also be placed in a zip-lock freezer bag and frozen for up to one month.)

Place all of the preserves in a medium bowl and mix together. (This can also be done in a food processor.) Set aside. Place the raisins, pecans, and coconut into individual bowls. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Generously cover a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Cut the log of dough into 6 equal pieces.  Working with 1 piece at a time, set dough in center of floured paper, sprinkle top of dough with additional flour, flour your rolling pin, and roll the dough into a thin rectangle, approximately 10×12 inches.

Gently spread dough with one-sixth of fruit preserves mixture, making sure to leave a half-inch border on the long side closest to you. Sprinkle one-sixth of the raisins evenly over preserves, followed by one-sixth of pecans, and lastly one-sixth of the coconut. Lift the far long end of parchment paper and use it to help roll the pastry, jellyroll style, around the filling.  Pinch ends and seams to seal, and turn the roll so that the long seam is on the bottom.

Carefully scoot the strudel roll, parchment and all, onto the parchment–lined pan. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and filling, placing three rolls onto each pan. Be sure the rolls do not touch.

Whisk together egg and vegetable oil in a small bowl.  Set aside. In another bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Gently brush each of the rolls with egg-oil mixture and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Using a sharp knife, gently score the top of each roll evenly at 1-inch intervals where it will later be sliced.

Place pans of strudel into oven and bake for about 45 minutes, rotating pans half way through. (Check your strudel after 35 minutes to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If it is, you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil until cooked through.)

Remove pans from oven and carefully transfer strudel rolls onto cooling racks.  When completely cool, place rolls into the refrigerator. When cold, cut strudel into serving pieces.

Makes 6 strudels, 10-12 slices each.