Kindlech strudel, rolled so fine

 

How are you with ‘getting’ a recipe from just reading it? Or do you find it so much easier – and more inspiring – to see it demonstrated, as well?

Obviously, I’m all for the see-and-do method of recipe-learning. I can count on 5 fingers the number of dishes from Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals book that I’ve flipped over, but they have become ‘must-makes’ after seeing them on his TV show.

Likewise with Little Paris Kitchen with Rachel Khoo. Seeing her whip up beef bourguignon or chocolate lava cakes in her tiny toaster oven makes me think, “I’d really like to make that and I think I CAN”. Notice how I completely ignore the fact that Rachel Khoo has done a Cordon Bleu cookery course while I have, um, almost every issue of Donna Hay magazine…

Well, I recently saw these Kindlech (strudel pastries) made ‘in real life’ by the Monday Morning Cooking Club ladies.  And I also tasted them and they were amazing, the pastry was so thin and light and crisp, with a filling of jam, sultanas and Nutella that complemented it perfectly. There was no way I’d ever imagine making these myself, but seeing them demonstrated changed all that and I ended up making a more-than-passable version myself at home.

Here is an excellent video from Appliances Online of the same demo that I was at. Watch it and tell me you don’t want to try this yourself.

And here’s the recipe.

Kindlech

makes 4 rolls

Ingredients

Pastry (start the day before):

1 egg yolk

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g sour cream

240g plain flour

Filling (per roll):

1 tblsp chocolate-hazelnut spread (eg. Nutella)

1 tblsp raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam

2 tblsp sultanas

1 egg yolk, beaten, for glazing

Method

1. For the pastry: Place all the pastry ingredients in a food processor and mix until a ball of dough forms, or mix together with your hands. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

2. To make the rolls: Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line baking trays with paper.

3. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to soften slightly. Cut the dough into 4 equally-sized pieces (each piece makes one roll). Knead each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, then, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough thinly into a rectangle about 30cmx15cm (12”x6”). The pastry should be so thin that it is a little translucent.

5. Spread the choc-hazelnut spread and jam over the pastry, right to the edges, then sprinkle with sultanas. Roll up from the long edge to form a log, then place seamside-down on the baking tray. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

6. Brush the rolls with beaten egg yolk, then prick the rolls a couple of times with a sharp knife (to let air escape and prevent cracking). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

7. To serve, use a sharp, serrated knife to cut each piece diagonally into 10 slices.

The cut slices can be stored in a foil-lined airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe adapted from Monday Morning Cooking Club

Ingredients, including apricot jam, Nutella, sultanas.

Cut the dough into 4, and each piece makes 1 roll.

Spread the jam and Nutella onto the thinly-rolled pastry. You can also add chopped walnuts as well as sultanas.

When cool, cut each roll into pieces to serve.

Take my word for it: these are seriously good pastries, very moreish and just as good the next day.

Tabitha cat licking her chops at the thought of CRUMBS! 

On another note, I really should move that kitchen stool so that Tabs can't jump on it.