Apple Strudel

I've always been fascinated watching bakers making strudel dough on TV. It seems impossible to stretch the dough so thin without it breaking. So in the last few days, I've been trying to see if I can do it too. Even more than technique, I've discovered it's important to find the right recipe.

My first attempt used an old world recipe that didn't have any shortening in it. Maybe something got lost in the translation, but I ended up with a tough alligator skin strudel -- not close to the light flaky texture I was hoping for.

The second attempt wasn't much better. This recipe had a little butter in it, but still, it seemed much too dry from the start. It also turned out tough.

But then I came across a recipe on baking911.com. That's the one I've listed below. The result was an amazingly stretchy and forgiving dough that you can use to amaze your friends. After it's baked, the texture is light, flaky, buttery--just right.

Apple Strudel

(Makes 2 large or 4 small strudels)

There are endless ways to shape and decorate strudel. 
The Xs shown here are made with a sharp scissor.

For the Dough (can be made up to 2 days ahead):

• 3/4 cup warm water
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 1/3 cup oil
  
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  

In the food processor bowl, add water, lemon juice, eggs, salt, sugar, and oil and pulse to combine. Add flour and process until a smooth mass forms. Add more flour as required. Dough should be smooth, elastic and slack. Remove from work bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rest one hour before using. Otherwise, place in a plastic bag, refrigerate until required (1-2 days) and allow to warm to room temperature before stretching.

Divide dough in two portions. Gently roll dough with a rolling pin to flatten. Let dough rest 5 minutes. Begin stretching strudel. Use your fists to do this (make sure you are not wearing anything that might tear the dough or make holes) and stretch dough from center out - much like pizza dough. Stretch, move your hands around the edges, lift and stretch each new section. Every once in awhile, rest (good for you and the dough). Cover dough with a damp towel or clean, damp tablecloth for the rest. Use your fingertips to stretch dough when you can no longer use your fists (dough may be too large at some point to get at from sides into center). Always allow dough a chance to rest so that it will not resist your efforts. Once you get a rectangle of some 18 by 12 inches you can fill dough. This size doesn't have to be exact. The dough is flexible so you can use whatever size is convenient. I stretch it over the edges of my chopping block which makes it easy to trim off the edges.

  

For the Filing:

• 5-6 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  
• 2 tablespoons flour
  
• 1/2 cup plumped, well drained raisins

Mix above ingredients in a mixing bowl and let sit while you stretch the dough.

Breadcrumbs:

• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of bread) sauteed in 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown. (In a pinch, you can use crushed cookie crumbs or graham crackers.)
  

  

Assemble: 
Brush surface of dough generously with melted butter. Sprinkle on bread crumbs or cookie crumbs. On edge closest to you, spread about six cups of filling. Using the table cloth to lever the dough up and start rolling strudel into a log. Do this until the loaf is about 3 inches thick. Trim and gently lift up log onto prepared baking sheet. Brush top with melted butter or egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Make small air slits--decorate as you wish. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

     

Bake at 375 F. on a parchment lined baking sheet until golden and juices begin to ooze (about 30-35 mins.). Dust with confectioner's sugar. Cut into single portions. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Never Fail Marshmallow Frosting

I made some vanilla cupcakes the other day and tried a new frosting recipe. It doesn't say it's '7 minute' frosting, but it looks very much the same as other recipes I've seen. It's also very similar to how to make marshmallows, but they have gelatin, but this frosting doesn't. This is very easy and like the recipe says, it's 'never fail' -- always a good thing in my book. For these cupcakes, I used a piping bag.

Fluffy White Marshmallow Frosting

(makes enough for 18-24 cupcakes)

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/3 cup water

Pinch of salt

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix first four ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over egg whites, add vanilla and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. (It may seem to take a long time, but keep beating and you'll notice the change.)

Quinn's Lefse Recipe

Here's my lefse recipe. These amounts are my best guess at the moment -- I don't usually measure anything.

Quinn’s Lefse
(Makes about 2-3 dozen)

Making lefse is not hard, but it does take practice to get it just right. Even experienced lefse makers have good and bad days, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right every time. After making lefse a few times, you’ll have a better feel for what the dough should feel like when mixing, rolling and frying. You’ll soon learn which ones will turn out great and which ones you should have tossed in the trash before wasting all that time rolling it out. But it’s the ones that don’t turn out that you learn the most from. Did you work the dough too long? Did you add too much flour? Did you over cook it? The only way to answer those questions is by making mistakes.

Many lefse makers work in pairs where one rolls and one frys. Then when the person rolling gets tired, you can switch jobs so you can rest your back, but keep the lefse coming.

• 5 lbs russet potatoes
  
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola or any light oil)
  
• All purpose flour – approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups (but you have to judge by feel) plus more for rolling
  

Boil potatoes until fork tender

Mash using a potato ricer or food mill (you can use a regular potato masher, but you may end up with some lumps in your lefse)

While still hot, add stick of butter, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup oil. Mix completely. Let cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight, but bring to room temperature before using).

Working in small batches, scoop out about 2 cups of the potato mixture into a smaller bowl. Add about ½ cup flour to portioned off potatoes and mix until just combined – do not over mix or the dough will become sticky. Divide mixture into equal portions. (about 6). An ice cream scoop works great for this. Work each portion in your hands for a few seconds then shape into a ball. (It should hold together with a slight spring, but not be sticky or rubbery. – You’ve worked it too much if it does.)

Flour board and rolling pin cover generously. Using a flat plate, gently press potato ball between two sheets of plastic (a freezer bag that has been cut open works great for this) until it makes a disk (about 3-4” across). Peel plastic off one side of the potato disk and flip it onto your floured board using the plastic as a holder. Then peel the plastic away from the other side (remove it completely). Dust the potato disk with flour.  Using very light pressure (just let the weight of the pin do the work), roll from center to outside edge of disk working around the circle (like spokes of a wheel) until lefse becomes about 6-7” across and more or less round. If the disk becomes lopsided, gently pat the edges back to round. Continue rolling applying slightly more pressure as the lefse gets thinner. Keep it moving on the board without sticking. Add a little more flour to the board, if necessary. Until you get the hang of it, you may need to flip the lefse over one or two times during the rolling process to prevent sticking. Continue rolling until the lefse is approximately 12-14” across. (The thinner the better, but it takes practice to roll it thin without tearing.)

*Tips – lefse should be able to move on the floured board as you roll. If it stops moving use the stick in a gentle sawing motion under the lefse to lift it off the board then smooth a little more flour into the board or move to another area.

After rolling several lefse you may notice a sticky area on the pastry cloth or rolling pin cover. Work a little more flour into that area to keep it as dry as possible. You can also turn your board to work in another area. If making a large amount of lefse, you may wish to swap out a clean pastry cloth/pin cover once the first one becomes too wet.

Slide lefse stick under rolled lefse and carefully transfer to the preheated (500 degrees) grill. Fry until it bubbles up (approx 15-20 seconds). Slide lefse stick under lefse and flip over to cook the other side. (approx 10-15 seconds). Be careful not to overcook lefse or it will become dry and brittle. It should be light, but moist and tender like a crepe with a slightly crisp outside. Cool on a wire rack for a minute or two then stack on a dish towel and cover with another towel to keep warm. (This is also the best time to eat them!)

When completely cool, fold into quarters and package about 3-4 lefse in a zip lock freezer bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days or several months in the freezer. Thaw frozen lefse at room temperature until flexible. (About an hour)

Lefse is best hot off the grill slathered in butter, but you can warm older lefse in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to freshen it. 

Troubleshooting tips

Lefse is tough or crunchy. – It may be cooked too long, or you may have added too much flour during rolling. Use a light touch when rolling so you don’t need to add so much flour.

Dough cracks and falls apart when rolling. – work the dough a few more seconds in your hands before rolling or mix in a little more flour.

Serving ideas

• Butter
  
• Butter & Sugar
  
• Butter, Sugar & Cinnamon
  
• Butter & Maple Syrup
  
• Butter & roast pork or just about any kind of meat
  
• Butter & lutefisk
  
• Butter & Thanksgiving dinner leftovers
  
• Butter & Ham
  

(Are you getting the idea that butter is the most important lefse topping?)

Finished Lefse

The lefse turned out pretty well. I ended up adding an ascorbic acid capsule dissolved in about a tablespoon of warm water. I also added two tablespoons of oil to the mashed potato mixture. It rolled out great. I also fried them on the AGA today -- I usually use a regular lefse grill, but thought I'd try using the hot plate on the stove. I'd tried it once before, but the stove was set hotter then and they burned too quickly. I set the tempurature down a bit a few months ago and it worked out for lefse too.

After it cooled I layered them between pieces of parchement, 

folded the whole thing in half and packed them in a FoodSaver bag. I hope they make the three day trip to Cori's house without spoiling.

Making Lefse

With the temperature still in the low 20's, it feels more like winter than spring. So it's a perfect day to make some lefse. My friend Cori in California is chomping to get some, but the problem with shipping lefse that far is it usually gets moldy by the time it gets there.

Today, I'm going to experiment with a couple of strategies. The first is using a vacuum sealer to remove the air before shipping it. I've heard that if you're not careful you'll end up with just a sticky clump instead of thin individual sheets, so I'm thinking I'll try putting parchment paper between each sheet of lefse before sealing it.

The second idea to prevent mold is to use a little ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C). It's supposed to inhibit mold in bread, so I'm thinking it might work in lefse too. (I also checked out the label of that horrible lefse they sell in the grocery store -- the kind that sits on the shelf for months and has the texture of shoe leather) and they also list ascorbic acid on the label. I just hope that's not the reason their lefse becomes shoe leather. We'll see. 

By the way, WHO is buying that horrible lefse in the store? Someone must be because it's there -- or maybe it's the same package that's been there since I was 5 years old -- who knows. If you've ever had real, homemade lefse, you'd know that the processed stuff isn't even close. OK, time to get off my soap box and start boiling potatoes. I'll have more updates as the day goes on.