Strudel Surprise Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add bratwurst and onion; cook and stir until onion is tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut; cool slightly., In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Spread with 1/3 cup sour cream mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Spoon 2-1/2 cups sausage mixture down center of pastry; sprinkle with 1/2 cup each Muenster and cheddar cheeses., Lightly brush edges of pastry with water; bring edges together, pinching to seal. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet, seam side down; pinch ends and fold under. Repeat with remaining ingredients., Brush tops with water; sprinkle with remaining caraway seeds. Cut slits in pastry. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Mix sugar, eggs and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small bowl. Quickly stir into the flour mixture. Mix in approximately 1/2 the water. Knead into a soft, pliable dough, using more of the water as necessary.
• Cover dough with a tea towel and allow to sit at least 1 hour while desired filling is prepared. To use, divide into two parts. Cover half the dough with plastic wrap while you roll out the other.
• Carefully stretch the dough into paper thinness on a lightly floured surface (a clean cotton sheet is ideal) and lightly brush with remaining vegetable oil. Fill and bake as desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place apples in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar and golden raisins; set aside. Place puff pastry on baking sheet. Roll lightly with a rolling pin. Arrange apple filling down the middle of the pastry lengthwise. Fold the pastry lengthwise around the mixture. Seal edges of pastry by using a bit of water on your fingers, and rubbing the pastry edges together. Whisk egg and milk together, and brush onto top of pastry.
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• To make the dough: Place the flour, egg, soft butter and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mixing with the dough hook on low speed, add enough of the cold water to make a soft dough. Knead the dough in the electric mixer at medium speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and coat it with oil. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• For the filling: To make the coarse bread crumbs, toast slices of white bread in the oven until crisp, about 10 minutes. Break into pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse the processor until the bread resembles large bread crumbs. In a saute pan, over medium heat, saute the bread crumbs in 1/4 cup of the melted butter until they are golden brown. Reserve the sauteed bread crumbs and the remaining melted butter separately. Combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, raisins, nuts, ground cinnamon and about half of the bread crumbs. Cut the firm butter into chunks and gently toss together with the apple mixture.
• To Assemble: Cover a work surface approximately 4 feet by 4 feet with a clean piece of cloth. The cloth is used to facilitate stretching and rolling the dough. Make sure that the cloth is securely fastened to the table. Dust the cloth lightly with the flour. Place the rested dough in the center of the cloth. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle. When the dough is as thin as it will go with the rolling pin, it is time to begin stretching and pulling the dough. To stretch and pull the dough, place your hands under the dough, and, using your thumbs and the back of your hand, gently begin pulling and stretching the dough. Pull and stretch the dough until it is a rectangle approximately 3 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet. Be very careful when you are pulling and stretching not to tear the dough. After it is pulled to the proper size, let the dough relax on the table for a few minutes. There will be a thick edge around the edges, trim this away. You also want to trim off any parts of the dough that hang over the edges of the table. Place the apple filling next to the long edge of the dough closest to you. Form the filling into a thick log. Brush some of the reserved melted butter generously over the remainder of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs over the dough. Using the cloth to help lift the dough, roll the strudel as you would a jelly roll, starting from the filling side. Place the strudel, seam side down, in a horseshoe shape on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the strudel with the last of the melted butter. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 35 minutes, Remove the pan from the oven and cool. Slice the the strudel into individual servings and serve either warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, create a slurry by combining 1/4 cup of the apple juice with the cornstarch. Mix until smooth and set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples with the remaining 1 cup apple juice, raisins, sugar and cinnamon until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the cornstarch slurry (it may have settled) and add it to the apple mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and lump free. Simmer for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool. Stir in the pecans, cover and chill.
• Lay out 1 phyllo sheet on a clean, flat, lightly floured surface. Brush with some melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs. Repeat this procedure with two more layers of phyllo, butter and breadcrumbs. Top with the fourth sheet of phyllo. Spread the apple filling evenly onto the phyllo surface, leaving a 1/2-inch clean edge on all sides. Roll into a log, folding the edges at each end beneath the log and brush with some melted butter. Carefully place the strudel on the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down. Bake the strudel until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 2-inch slices. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Serve plain or with ice cream.