Topfenstrudel

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large clean tablecloth or tea towel for stretching
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Large baking sheet, lined with parchment
• •Hand mixer or whisk for egg whites
• •Serrated knife for slicing

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the strudel dough

   Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the warm water, oil, vinegar, and salt. Work everything together with your hands, pulling the flour in from the edges, then knead for a solid eight to ten minutes until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. It should feel alive under your hands. Slap it against the counter a few times if it's being stubborn. The vinegar and oil relax the gluten and make the dough stretchable later. Without them, you'll be fighting dough that keeps snapping back.

   Use griffiges Mehl if you can find it. Austrian coarse flour has less gluten than American all-purpose, which gives you a more tender, cooperative dough. If you're using regular plain flour, add a tiny splash more oil.
2. 2

   Rest the dough

   Shape the dough into a smooth ball, brush the surface lightly with oil so it doesn't dry out, and cover it with a warm bowl turned upside down. Let it rest for at least thirty minutes, longer if you can manage it. The gluten needs to relax completely. If you try to stretch it too soon, it will tear and you'll curse and have to start over. Go make the filling while you wait.

   Gretel always said to warm the bowl first with hot water before placing it over the dough. The gentle warmth helps the gluten relax faster.
3. 3

   Soak the raisins

   Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour dark rum over them, enough to cover. Let them sit for at least thirty minutes. They should plump up and turn glossy. If you skip this, the raisins will sit in the filling like dry little pebbles and absorb moisture from the Topfen instead of contributing flavour. The rum isn't about getting anyone drunk. It's about depth.

4. 4

   Prepare the Topfen filling

   In a large bowl, combine the Topfen, sour cream, sugar, and Vanillezucker. Stir until smooth. Add the egg yolks and lemon zest and mix well. The filling should be creamy and just slightly tangy. Now stir in the semolina. This is important: the Grieß absorbs excess moisture during baking so the filling sets instead of turning soupy. Drain the raisins and fold them in gently. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then fold them into the Topfen mixture in two additions. Light strokes. You want air in this filling. It should puff slightly in the oven, giving you that soft, almost mousse-like texture inside.

   If your Topfen or quark is very wet, press it through a sieve first or let it drain in muslin for twenty minutes. Too much liquid and the filling will weep through the dough.
5. 5

   Toast the breadcrumbs

   Melt about a tablespoon of the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir constantly until they turn golden and fragrant, two to three minutes. Watch them closely. They go from golden to burnt in about ten seconds. Set aside. These create a barrier between the wet filling and the dough, keeping the bottom crisp instead of soggy.

6. 6

   Stretch the dough

   Lay a clean tablecloth or large tea towel on your table and dust it lightly with flour. Place the rested dough in the centre and roll it out as far as it will go without resistance. Then put the rolling pin aside, because the rest happens with your hands. Slide your hands underneath the dough, palms down, and begin stretching it outward from the centre, using the backs of your hands and your knuckles. Walk around the table. Pull gently and evenly. The dough should stretch until it's paper-thin and nearly translucent. You should be able to read a newspaper through it, or at least see the pattern of your cloth. Trim any thick edges with scissors.

   Take off your rings and watch. The dough is forgiving but not invincible. A small tear isn't a disaster; just pinch it closed. A large tear means you rushed the resting time.
7. 7

   Assemble the strudel

   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush the entire surface of the stretched dough generously with melted butter. Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs in a wide strip across the lower third of the dough, leaving a border on both sides. Spoon the Topfen filling over the breadcrumbs in an even layer. Don't spread it all the way to the edges. You need room to fold the sides in and seal the roll. Fold the side borders over the filling, then use the cloth underneath to help you roll the strudel away from you, gently and firmly, like rolling a sleeping bag. The cloth does the work. Trust it. Carefully transfer the strudel onto a lined baking sheet, seam side down, bending it into a slight crescent if your sheet isn't long enough.

8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Brush the top and sides of the strudel with more melted butter. Bake for thirty-five to forty minutes, brushing with the remaining butter once more halfway through. The strudel is done when the pastry turns a deep, even gold and the layers look dry and flaky, not pale and soft. You'll see spots where butter has pooled and crisped at the edges. That's exactly right.

9. 9

   Rest, slice, and serve

   Let the strudel cool for ten to fifteen minutes on the baking sheet. It needs this rest. Cut it too soon and the filling will spill out in a hot mess instead of holding together in a soft, creamy layer. Slice with a sharp serrated knife into generous portions. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm with vanilla sauce pooled alongside, or a spoonful of lightly sweetened Schlagobers. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •The quality of your Topfen determines everything. Use full-fat quark, at least 20%, from the best source you can find. Low-fat quark produces a filling that's grainy and dry instead of creamy and rich. If you're outside Austria and can't find Topfen, use full-fat quark from a European deli. Ricotta is not the same thing. Cream cheese is not the same thing.
• •Stretch the dough on a tablecloth, not directly on the table. The fabric gives you grip and helps you roll the strudel without tearing. Gretel used the same checkered cloth for forty years. A clean bed sheet works perfectly if you don't have a proper Strudeldecke.
• •Serve the strudel warm, not hot. At warm, the filling has set into something silky and the pastry is at its crispest. At hot, the filling is still loose and will pour out when you cut. At cold, the pastry loses its shatter. The sweet spot is about fifteen minutes out of the oven.
• •Vanilla sauce is traditional and worth making: heat 250ml milk with a split vanilla pod, whisk two egg yolks with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornflour, temper with the warm milk, and cook gently until it coats a spoon. It takes five minutes and it makes the whole dish sing.

Advance Preparation

• •Strudel dough can rest for up to two hours at room temperature under a warm bowl. It actually gets easier to stretch the longer it rests, within reason.
• •The Topfen filling can be prepared up to four hours ahead and refrigerated. Fold in the whipped egg whites just before assembling.
• •Raisins can be soaked in rum overnight. They only get better.
• •Topfenstrudel is best eaten the day it's baked. Leftover slices can be warmed in a 160°C oven for ten minutes the next day, but the pastry won't be quite as crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)