Chef Joost
Aardbeienvlaai (Limburg Strawberry Vlaai)
The summer vlaai that politely breaks Limburg's baked-fruit rule: soft gistdeeg, cool pastry cream, and strawberries left fresh because June knows better than the oven.
Culinary Explorer
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Abrikozenvlaai
Created by
A Limburg vlaai is not a pie trying to be grand. It is a thin yeast-dough round, fruit-bright and generous, made for birthdays, coffee, and second slices.
Pastries & Cookies
Dutch
Birthday
Celebration
Special Occasion
35 min
Active Time
30 min cook•2 hr 35 min total
Yield1 vlaai, 10 slices
The first rule of vlaai is that Limburg keeps it. The rest of the Netherlands may buy it, admire it, and carry it home in a cardboard box on the train, but the dish belongs to the south, where birthdays are measured in wedges and coffee is not properly coffee unless something sweet is waiting beside it.
The name already tells you a little, but only if you listen carefully. Vlaai belongs to an old family of words for a flat cake, kin to fladen, broad and low. That is the secret people miss when they make it too thick: this is not a high pie with ambitions. It is bread dough rolled thin, barely a centimetre, so the fruit leads and the crust behaves itself.
Abricots bring sunshine into the matter, especially in late summer when they are fragrant enough to perfume the bowl before you cut them. But let me tell you a secret: Limburg cooks have long understood preserved fruit too. A well-drained jar of apricot halves is not failure, it is winter memory doing its job. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. A soft yeast dough, a shallow tin, fruit cooked just enough to hold, and a coffee table with room for one more chair.
Vlaai is strongly associated with Dutch Limburg and the neighbouring Meuse-Rhine region, where open, yeast-dough fruit tarts became fixtures of kermis days, birthdays, and parish celebrations. The word vlaai is related to older Low Countries and Germanic words for a flat cake, which explains the defining feature of the dish: a thin bread-like base rather than a rich shortcrust shell. In 2024, Limburgse vlaai received European protected geographical indication status, tying the name to the region and to traditional methods of production.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
plain flour
Quantity
250g
plus extra for dusting
instant yeast
Quantity
7g
caster sugar
Quantity
35g
fine salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
lukewarm milk
Quantity
125ml
egg yolk
Quantity
1
unsalted butter
Quantity
40g
softened
apricot halves
Quantity
700g
fresh or well-drained from a jar
granulated sugar
Quantity
75g
or to taste
lemon juice
Quantity
1 tablespoon
cornstarch
Quantity
1 tablespoon
fine breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 tablespoons
milk
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for brushing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| plain flourplus extra for dusting | 250g |
| instant yeast | 7g |
| caster sugar | 35g |
| fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| lukewarm milk | 125ml |
| egg yolk | 1 |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 40g |
| apricot halvesfresh or well-drained from a jar | 700g |
| granulated sugaror to taste | 75g |
| lemon juice | 1 tablespoon |
| cornstarch | 1 tablespoon |
| fine breadcrumbs | 2 tablespoons |
| milkfor brushing | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •28cm vlaai tin or shallow tart tin
- •Rolling pin
- •Small saucepan
Instructions
- 1
Make the dough
Mix the flour, yeast, caster sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the lukewarm milk, egg yolk, and softened butter, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, and no longer sticking stubbornly to your hands. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- 2
Cook the apricots
Put the apricot halves in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the fruit softens and gives up a little juice. Stir the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, add it to the pan, and cook for another minute until the juices turn glossy and spoonable. Let the filling cool.
- 3
Roll the base
Butter a 28cm vlaai tin or shallow tart tin. Roll the risen dough into a circle large enough to line the tin, keeping it thin, about 3mm. Press it into the tin and trim the edge. If it feels too bouncy, leave it alone for 5 minutes; dough, like scholars, becomes more reasonable after a short rest.
- 4
Fill the vlaai
Scatter the breadcrumbs over the base. They are not there for flavour but for discipline, catching the fruit juice before it makes the bottom heavy. Spoon in the cooled apricot filling and spread it evenly, keeping the fruit in a shallow layer.
- 5
Prove and bake
Let the filled vlaai rest for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 200C. Brush the exposed rim with milk, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the dough is golden at the edge and the apricot filling sits glossy and settled. Cool before slicing; hot fruit lies about its thickness.
Chef Tips
- •Use ripe apricots only in season. The tide sets the menu, and so does the calendar; a hard apricot in March is only orange disappointment. Outside summer, use good jarred apricot halves, drained well.
- •Do not make the dough thick. A Limburg vlaai should be low and bread-like, with the fruit doing the talking. If the base rises like a bun, you have made a pleasant thing, but not this thing.
- •The breadcrumbs are the quiet old trick. They catch extra juice without turning the filling cloudy, which matters with apricot because its brightness is half the pleasure.
Advance Preparation
- •The apricot filling can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
- •The dough can rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight; bring it to room temperature before rolling.
- •Best eaten the day it is baked, though leftovers keep covered for 1 day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 115g)
Calories
225 calories
Total Fat
5 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
150 mg
Total Carbohydrates
41 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
18 g
Protein
5 g
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