Pictorial on "Magic Dough"

[K8memphis]

I haven't made this in 25 years so I didn't do too bad for this being my first batch since our girl-kid was two years old. I haven't loaded the photos into egullet so if you click on this link it will take you to the start of a slideshow if you want. Hope this is ok to do. I can load the photos in egullet if I need to.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To You!

[LittleIsland]

How wonderful K8, thank you for taking the time to show us. Really really helpful.

Last week I was at the hotel's pastry kitchen and they showed me how to stretch strudel dough by stretching 2 corners of the dough over 2 corners of the cloth-covered table. That way you have one entire short side of the dough "pinned" down and you can stretch the rest of it gradually, the way you demo'd. They managed to stretch what looked like an equivalent amount of dough, over the entire table (about the same size).

Also was told it helps to rest the dough in the refrigerator overnight before stretching and filling, and to freeze the rolled strudel overnight again before baking - must remember to ask why when I go back next week. (But then again for their production work most everything is frozen either before or after baking)

They also did not spread the whole pastry with butter and cinnamon sugar/nuts - only the strip where the apple filling goes. Apparently the reason is to avoid soggy pastry which will happen if there are too many layers of melted butter. But yours looks (really delicious) like the version I remember eating long ago - where there are layers of filling throughout the roll.

I really want to try this for Christmas... it's amazing how one visual demonstration can demystify a process so quickly. Thanks again!

Edited November 27, 2006 by LittleIsland (log)

[K8memphis]

Cool, Little Island, thanks. I hope you do try it. It's so much fun to stretch that stuff out and then rolling it up is equally satisfying, really cool. It's this solid weighty little crunchy roll--way cool. Yes I did remember and use the corner thing some as I worked. But my dough was not going to go over that whole surface. It covers approx 24x48. Mine was 28x36 so I was close.

I remember doing this to sell way back when and wishing I had more than just a little kitchen table so I could stretch out more stuff at one time. Now I got the bgger table. I have two more leaves I can pull out too. Need to multiply the recipe and practice stretching.

The butter I used was clarified so no water to sog things out. And that's the reason for the sprinkle of Wondra flour too. My second batch will be go easier and stretch better. In the book Bernard says to freeze the finished baked product. And I've never gone beyond his parameters for the dough, I knead the stuffings out of it, let it rest under the inverted hot bowl and then stretch.

And making the dough is easy but I diddled with it too much. I had it all going and then I added some more water. So now that I have the right amount of water determined I can get a smoother dough. And I'll make a greater quantity to cover the table too so I can hook around the edges of the table better. It's definitely a learning process until you get a few batches under your belt.

Keep me posted how you do!

Edited November 27, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[Grub]

That is absolutely amazing.

[Shaya]

Wonderful, thanks for sharing.

[oli]

Wonderful job. I wish I had the time to do things like that. My mother made Hungarian strudel, but she said "just buy the store bought kind its too much work". I don't even think my Hungarian relatives even bother to make it. So my hats off to you, I bet it tastes great.

[Tweety69bird]

Well done K8! Great demo. Inspiring me to make them too... we'll see. I'm sure my mom will be so pleased that I'll be using the table cloth she gave me for that!!

[Mottmott]

Well done K8! Great demo. Inspiring me to make them too... we'll see. I'm sure my mom will be so pleased that I'll be using the table cloth she gave me for that!! 

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I remember seeing that as a child done by my aunt! My ancient memory is that somehow the finished dish was strudel baked in a pot, I seem to recall they were stacked. Perhaps she did an extra step after baking the strudel? Anyone know of something like this?

[C_Ruark]

Bravo K8,

Nice pics! I sent the link to my girlfriend who's started to learn more pastry techniques.

~C

[Teya9]

Thank-you for the pics. My Uncle and I made a pact that we would try making strudel this December. I had the pleasure of eating strudels that my great grandma made. Hope some of her magic is in my DNA

[annecros]

I haven't made this in 25 years so I didn't do too bad for this being my first batch since our girl-kid was two years old. I haven't loaded the photos into egullet so if you click on this link it will take you to the start of a slideshow if you want. Hope this is ok to do. I can load the photos in egullet if I need to.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays To You!

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Ugg. I'm not worthy.

Wonderful, and your slide show left me speechless. Great job.

[Sunny Simmons Steincamp]

Absolutely amazing. I'm a visual learner, so this *really* helped me. A friend gave me her recipe for a vegetable strudel, and I've wanted to try it, but was a little daunted by the verbal instructions!

It was also cool for another reason... I'm from Memphis originally, so seeing the Commercial Appeal through the sheet of dough was a flash from the past!

Thanks for sharing!

[K8memphis]

Thank you! Y'all are very kind. Tweety, you made me laugh!

...It was also cool for another reason... I'm from Memphis originally, so seeing the Commercial Appeal through the sheet of dough was a flash from the past!

Thanks for sharing!

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Cool! I noticed in a thread somewhere you mentioned the Buntyn Cafe once.

Umm, that particular Commercial Appeal is a keepsake. The big picture there is a photo of none other than Chef-boy, our son Jonathan, who broke his bike in a mountain bike race. The photographer captured a cool photo of him carrying the broken bike in pieces at the top of the hill while other riders were yet ascending farther down the path. It made the front page--slow news day I guess.

In fact, I looked up how far Cumberland County is from The Inn in Rappahanock County. Which you are a coupla hundred miles away from him, but I just thought that was interesting. Hmm, that doesn't sound stalk-ish does it??!!

!!!Hooray for Elvistown!!!

Edited November 27, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[Becca Porter]

That demo is great K8. I have made a strudel once before, with the recipe in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Your demo makes me make another.

The other day I made the greatest apple pie. It was the Cardamom Apple pie with Tart Dried Cherries from Apple Pie Perfect. If I wanted to turn it into a strudel, what would I do? Here are the ingredients, what would I add or omit?

8 cups sliced Granny Smith Apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup dried tart cherries

1 1/2 tablespoons AP flour

1 teaspoon cardamom

Thanks!

[K8memphis]

That demo is great K8. I have made a strudel once before, with the recipe in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Your demo makes me make another.

The other day I made the greatest apple pie. It was the Cardamom Apple pie with Tart Dried Cherries from Apple Pie Perfect. If I wanted to turn it into a strudel, what would I do? Here are the ingredients, what would I add or omit?

8 cups sliced Granny Smith Apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup dried tart cherries

1 1/2 tablespoons AP flour

1 teaspoon cardamom

Thanks!

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I listed the ingredients I used in the pictorial. You could rearrange any of the spices. If you add lemon juice, you want to be sure to sprinkle the Wondra flour or some kind of flour because moisture is not your friend. I mean you even squeeze the juice out of the apples too. And the butter I used is clarified so the water and milk solids are removed also. You only need about half that amount of apples for that size strudel.

So now I have a question for you. Did you plump up your dried cherries before baking? What did you plump them in if you did.

[Becca Porter]

I actually used the wonderful Just Cherries. I have found that they do not have the waxy taste I associate with most dried cherries. They also do not need plumping.

[K8memphis]

I actually used the wonderful Just Cherries. I have found that they do not have the waxy taste I associate with most dried cherries. They also do not need plumping.

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Hmm, they look like raisins and I've never used them before and they are ten dollars a pound as opposed to say for example dried cranberries which are five dollars a pound. So I hate to screw them up. I think I want to grind them and mix them well with the apples so I may not do the plumping. Decisons decisions.

And in fact any diddling with the strudel thing makes me testy because I'd hate to mess one up experimenting. But I mean how could you blow cherries and apples after all.

So all that to say, I've never seen Just Cherries.

[jay b]

very nice looking strudel.always wanted to know how to make it thanks

[Lindacakes]

That totally rocked! Thank you for putting that together!

For anyone who is interested, Carole Walter sometimes teaches a strudel class at the ICE in New York.