mercoledì 27 maggio 2009

May DB challenge. Disaster in strudel shape!









The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
APPLE STRUDEL
Preparation timeTotal: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Apple strudelfrom “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.
3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.
4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel doughfrom “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.
2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).
3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.
4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.
Tips-
Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
-The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel.
Below are our notes:

Courtney's notes
- She could't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;
- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable;
- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

My notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a standmixer so I don't know how it compares.
- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;
- I used bread flour;
- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further;

READY FOR MY DISASTER'S TALE?

My original idea was to talk about apples.
Yes, apples.
Luckily when I was 18th I had my holidays in an enchanting valley called Val di Non the apple valley in Italy in Trentino Alto Adige and here is the english link to the official site
And there I've lived eating apple strudel in every moment of my day...what a smell outside restaurant, bakery, bar everywhere.
This delightful smell and taste was due to the excellent quality of apples so I was a little bit disappointed reading a generic "apple suitable for tart" in Italy this means Mela Renetta.
And although I live in another region it's easy find these apples in our supermarket.
So I've made by hand my dough, rolled the thinnest as possible with only a peripherical little hole and....DISASTER.
As usual I've read too fast all instructions and spread bread crumbs and apple cubes all over the dough sheet without lining them on a border.
And I've exceded with bread crumbles I fear.
My results was awful despite it looks like perfect out of the oven.
The inner filling was dried like sand due to the exceeding bread crumbs and I dreamt about a soft juicy filling as I remembered of that far holidays.
I've tried to put right everything making a warm vanilla sauce.
But it was awful at all.
I'm feeling ashamed thinking on Natalia or Elena aka Comida de Mama one with austriac origins and the other living in Trento.
But I know, they will laugh with me...I hope :)))

14 commenti:

ComidaDeMama ha detto...

The easiest way to cheer you up is writing my comment in English.
You'll experience a pure "Roberto Benigni English speaking-conversational skills as in Dawn-by-Law".
It is not a completely disaster and I bet the taste is gorgeous.
So, Enza, freeze a piece for me. I'll digg into it as soon as I arrive in Rome.
Ciao bella.

Laura ha detto...

Enza, due suggerimenti.... I pezzi di mele, mettili tutti insieme a un lato della pasta e cospargili con un po' di zucchero. Poi comincia ad arrotolare la pasta e con le mani la fai su stretta e la rendi piu' in forma, non so come spiegare meglio. Se ti ricordi lo strudel e' come a sfoglie, perche' lo si arrotola con il ripieno tutto da un lato, e arrotolandolo si formano degli strati sottilissimi di pasta. Quando hai il rotolo lo spennelli di burro fuso e lo metti in forno. Le briciole le puoi spadellare con un po' di burro fino che si colorano.

La tua pasta sembra stesa molto bene.

natalia ha detto...

secondo me era una sfoglia fantastica ! E poi se sei sempre perfetta poi ti annoi (...)

Cuoche dell'altro mondo ha detto...

Certo che fare lo strudel a 35 gradi e più non deve essere il massimo. La tua sfoglia però è da manuale e meriteresti un premio per quella.
Beh, ma lo strudel va mangiato con litri di salsa di vaniglia, quindi nonostante la tua consistenza un po' briciolosa direi che il risultato non è da disastro.
Ma scegliere ricette adatte alle stagioni no? O è partita dall'Australia la proposta di questa??
Baci
Alex

enza ha detto...

ma sai che non lo so da dove è partita?
amiche datemi lezioni di ripieno.
Laura appunto ho letto talmente male e velocemente la ricetta da non essermi per niente accorta del disastro che stavo combinando

Laura ha detto...

Enza, spero proverai lo strudel di nuovo, in inverno! Sono contenta di vederti ancora in azione, vuol dire che tutto procede bene.

Sheltie Girl ha detto...

I think you did a lovely job on getting your dough so very thin. This was my biggest challenge, since I was baking gluten free.

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

Kitchenlander ha detto...

Succede anche ai migliori, su!

Ma Laura, davvero lo strudel è così a sfoglie? A me pare di averlo sempre visto come l'ha fatto Enza (e infatti l'ho fatto anch'io così). Boh, domani vado in Austria e controllo!

Enza, non posso credere che tu abbia trovato le renette a Roma e io in Friuli no!!

brii ha detto...

enza sei fantastica!!!
ha ragione alex...e poi..mica si chiama apple strudel, o no? :))))

l'impasto è molto simile della pita slava..e mia mamma (che è croata ;) ) mi ha insegnato stenderlo, con un manico di scopa.
giuro! :))))
viene benissimo, perchè il manico è lungo e sottile, e riesci a stenderlo benissimo.

non ti abbattere...sembra delizioso anyway!!
baciussss

MilenaSt ha detto...

La parte più difficile ossia la pasta è perfetta .... e per il ripieno, la prossima volta basterà leggere con più calma .... :-)

Günther ha detto...

la pasta è stesa alla grande, anche io pennello con il burro la pasta e metto il ripieni solo da un lato, ma non è facile, però il risultato è meno brutto di quello che dici

Günther ha detto...

la pasta è stesa alla grande, anche io pennello con il burro la pasta e metto il ripieni solo da un lato, ma non è facile, però il risultato è meno brutto di quello che dici

花蓮民宿 ha detto...

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JeanZ ha detto...

Sorry that this did not turn out for you. I also had the problem that did with too many breadcrumbs. It does look delicious!