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.
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Pruimenvlaai (Limburg Plum Tart)
Created by
One of Limburg's oldest vlaaien: dark plums baked into a thin yeast-dough shell until they turn glossy and deep, a tart for feast days, funerals, and family tables.
Pastries & Cookies
Dutch
Celebration
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
35 min
Active Time
35 min cook•2 hr 50 min total
Yield1 tart, 10 slices
The name already tells you to look south. Vlaai is not ordinary pie wearing a softer accent; it is Limburg speaking in dough. A vlaai should be low, round, and generous, with a yeast crust that behaves more like bread than pastry and a filling that tastes of the season it came from. Pruimen are plums, plain enough, but in Limburg the word often points to zwarte pruimen, dark dried plums, soaked and cooked until they remember the orchard.
But let me tell you a secret. Pruimenvlaai is not only a sweet thing for coffee. In old Limburg it belonged as much to funerals as to feast days, which is not contradiction but wisdom. The same tart could mark grief and celebration because it was sturdy, makeable ahead, and honest on a crowded table. History and cookery, they cannot be separated, especially when the dish is the one carried from house to house while people speak quietly in the front room.
The method asks you to be calmer than modern pastry usually allows. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple: make a soft yeast dough, let the plums swell slowly, thicken them just enough so the base stays tender, then bake until the fruit turns dark and jammy. If fresh late-summer plums are in season, use them proudly. If the calendar has moved on, dried dark plums are not a compromise here; they are the old cupboard speaking.
Limburg vlaai is documented from medieval Low Countries baking traditions, with the name related to Middle Dutch vlade or vlaeye, a flat cake or flan, and to the broader Germanic family of Fladen, flat bread. Pruimenvlaai, especially the version made with zwarte pruimen, dark dried plums, became associated in parts of Limburg with funerals because dried fruit kept well and could be prepared for large gatherings without depending on the orchard's brief season. In 2024, Limburgse vlaai received European protected geographical indication status, recognizing the tart as a regional product of Dutch and Belgian Limburg rather than a general Dutch pie.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bread flour
Quantity
250g
plus extra for dusting
instant yeast
Quantity
7g
caster sugar
Quantity
35g
fine salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
whole milk
Quantity
125ml
lukewarm
unsalted butter
Quantity
40g
softened
egg yolk
Quantity
1
dark dried plums or prunes
Quantity
500g
pitted
water
Quantity
350ml
dark brown sugar
Quantity
60g
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
lemon peel
Quantity
1 strip
lemon juice
Quantity
1 tablespoon
cornstarch
Quantity
1 tablespoon
mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
fine breadcrumbs
Quantity
1 tablespoon
egg
Quantity
1
beaten, for brushing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bread flourplus extra for dusting | 250g |
| instant yeast | 7g |
| caster sugar | 35g |
| fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| whole milklukewarm | 125ml |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 40g |
| egg yolk | 1 |
| dark dried plums or prunespitted | 500g |
| water | 350ml |
| dark brown sugar | 60g |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| lemon peel | 1 strip |
| lemon juice | 1 tablespoon |
| cornstarchmixed with 2 tablespoons cold water | 1 tablespoon |
| fine breadcrumbs | 1 tablespoon |
| eggbeaten, for brushing | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •28cm shallow vlaai tin or tart tin
- •Rolling pin
- •Small saucepan
- •Pastry brush
Instructions
- 1
Soften the plums
Put the dried plums, water, dark brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel into a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the fruit is swollen, glossy, and soft enough to press with a spoon. Lift out the cinnamon and lemon peel. Stir in the lemon juice, then add the cornstarch slurry and simmer for 1 minute, just until the syrup thickens. Cool completely; hot filling makes tired dough.
The filling should mound softly, not run. If it slides like syrup, simmer it a few minutes longer before thickening, or the tart base will drink too much and lose its breadlike tenderness. - 2
Make the dough
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the lukewarm milk, softened butter, and egg yolk, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and only lightly tacky. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled. This is yeast dough, not short pastry; it wants patience, not cold hands.
- 3
Line the tin
Butter a 28cm shallow vlaai tin or tart tin. Roll two thirds of the dough into a thin round and ease it into the tin, pressing it gently into the edge without stretching. Trim the rim cleanly. Scatter the fine breadcrumbs over the base; they are not flavour, they are insurance against plum juice.
- 4
Fill and lattice
Spoon the cooled plum filling into the shell and spread it level. Roll the remaining dough thinly and cut it into strips. Lay the strips over the fruit in a simple lattice, then press the ends to the rim. Don't weave as if the queen is coming. A home lattice with honest spacing bakes better and eats just as well.
- 5
Proof and bake
Cover the tart loosely and let it rest for 25 to 30 minutes, until the dough looks slightly puffed. Heat the oven to 200C. Brush the lattice and rim with beaten egg, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the plum filling is dark, thick, and shining between the strips.
- 6
Cool before slicing
Let the vlaai cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift it carefully onto a rack. Slice only when fully cool, because the plums need time to set. A warm slice may taste fine, but it collapses like a poorly kept secret.
Chef Tips
- •Use dark dried plums for the old Limburg character: deep, winey, and practical outside plum season. In August and September, you can use 750g ripe fresh plums, halved and cooked with only 100ml water until they collapse.
- •A true vlaai base is thin. If the dough looks too generous, don't use every scrap in the tin; thick bread under fruit is no kindness.
- •Serve it with coffee, not ceremony. Whipped cream is welcome if your house expects it, but the plum filling should remain the main conversation.
Advance Preparation
- •The plum filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; bring it to room temperature before filling the tart.
- •The baked vlaai keeps well for 2 days covered at room temperature. It is better made the day before serving than rushed on the morning itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 130g)
Calories
300 calories
Total Fat
5 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
40 mg
Sodium
135 mg
Total Carbohydrates
62 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
29 g
Protein
6 g
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