Today my mom & baby sisters came over to make strudel! I love the strudel making process because it’s always a whole day with a kitchen full of females! It’s a time for chatting and bonding. And today was no exception. Pictured above is a “vintage” magazine clipping that my mom found for Grandma Mary Kay while she was in college! I thought it was so cute that I had to share!
Stretching it out. Hannah and I were to prissy to do this part, but Mom and AJ weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty!
The strudel dome!
Flouring the tablecloth is fun times!
The person who ACTUALLY did all the work. 
What is that NERDLE doing off in the corner!?!?
Stretching out the dough. It felt so cool!
Apple strudel! I knew my husband would go BANANAS for this because he loves apple crisp!
This step was probably my favorite. Rolling it towards the center of the table.
The rolls are ready to go in the pan!
Finished products!
We also made a cabbage version and a peaches + blueberries variation! If you’re interested in trying it for yourself, click “more” to see the recipe + a pumpkin variation!
Strudel Dough
Grandma Martha Knott, taught my Mary Kay Knott how to make this. It was always served for silo filling crews. This is a dish from Martha’s Hungarian roots.
½ c. water
2 T. butter
1 T. sugar
2c. flour
1 whole egg
1 egg white
Heat water and butter, with sugar only long enough to melt butter. Set aside to cool. Pile a mound of flour on a board and make a well in the center. Drop unbeaten egg and extra egg white in the well. With your fingertips work the egg into part of the flour until you have a smooth, sticky paste. Add the cool water mixture gradually and continue stirring until all the flour is worked in. Dough is smooth and sticky at this point.
Now pretend you’re bouncing a ball. Slap the dough with the palm of your hand vigorously, stretching it up from the board and slapping it down on the board. Do this about 100 times or until the dough no longer sticks to hands or board. Shape dough into a smooth ball, brush with additional melted butter and cover with an inverted hot bowl for about 20 minutes. While strudel dough rests, make your filling.
Spread a clean cloth over a large table. Sprinkle the cloth with a generous coating of flour and put the ball of dough in the center. Roll in a large circle as evenly as possible. Put the rolling pin away and in a gentle hand-over-hand motion work from the center and stretch to the outer edge. Be careful not to tear the dough for it cannot be mended. Keep moving around the table, stretching the dough until it hangs over the table and is as thin as tissue paper. Trim off thick uneven edges with scissors. Put these strips around on dough.
Start your oven at 400º. Brush dough with melted butter. Put filling on dough and roll up. (For apple, spread apple slices over dough and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll dough lengthwise. Tuck in ends of roll neatly. Place on pan and shape into a big horseshoe.) Brush with melted fat and bake 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350º and bake 30-35 minutes brushing with melted butter every 10-15 minutes. Struddel does freeze well too. You can fill it with any kind of fruit.
CABBAGE FILLING
1 HEAD CABBAGE
1 MEDIUM ONION
1/2C BUTTER
1 ½ TSP. SALT
¼ TSP PEPPER
½ TSP. SUGARS
Grate cabbage coarsely about 6 cups. Chop onion. Melt butter in saucepan. Toss in cabbage, onion and all remaining ingredients. Cook till tender.
My mom made this for Kelly, “her pumpkin lover.”
Pumpkin Strudel Filling 10/2010
1 can pumpkin
1 egg
1c. sugar
1-2 T flout
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves, ginger, nutmeg
8 oz cream
