Strudel Sunday

I took a strudel making class last fall and haven't had much chance to practice my new skills.  It was a great class from a chef here in NWI that specializes in Eastern European cooking.  She's a reviewer and columnist for a Chicago newspaper - sort of free-lance, I think.  If she ever offers another class, I'd love to take it.  Homemade sausages, anyone?  Just kidding (sort of...)  That's for another time, but today was strudel Sunday.  I started at around 6:30 AM because Gus and the cats were awake.  Me too, I guess.

The dough doesn't have any yeast in it, which surprised me.   It's merely flour, water and a bit of oil.  The key is to let the gluten do it's "thing" and become silky and pliable after resting for about 2 hours.  Mine was beautiful!

After adding buttery bread crumb and cherry pie filling, it was time to roll.  The sheet does most of the work for you, but mine needed a little assistance from John.  Who said "too many cooks spoil the broth?"  Not in this case.  I was glad he was around!  Rolled up and placed on parchment paper it was ready to make for about an hour.

It's beautiful!  I love the color of the crust, but after tasting it, my oven might've been too hot.  It's extra flaky and crunchy, but delicious. Perhaps a drizzle of powdered sugar icing?  Hmmmm.

I've sliced it in half - meaning half for now and half in the freezer waiting for Thanksgiving in Cincinnati.  We'll have plenty of sweets (pumpkin pie and strawberry-rhubarb pie are also on the menu), so if the strudel is too "al dente" to eat, we won't miss it.