Mother's Chocolate Strudel Recipe - Vegan in the Freezer (2024)

FAQs

Can you freeze strudel before baking? ›

It can also be frozen before baking. Simply wrap well in baking parchment and cling film, then place on a tray and freeze until firm. (You can then remove the tray if you need space.) Freeze for up to six months, then bake from frozen at the temperature stated above for 35-40 mins.

Oven from frozen

Instructions: F200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 35-40 mins. Place on a baking tray in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave to stand for 1 minute after cooking.

Strudel can be enjoyed cold or warm. We recommend heating strudel up before serving to crisp up the dough and to slightly warm the filling inside. Drizzle some powdered sugar on top and enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream (or any flavor you like).

Prepare and cook the strudel as per the recipe. Cool completely at room temperature then wrap in freezer film or foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.

You can do either. We like to freeze it raw then bake from frozen but you can make, freeze (to chill), bake, cool and freeze if you want to get a step further ahead.

Thaw the puff pastry overnight or on the counter: If you have time, it's best to thaw puff pastry overnight in the fridge. If you don't have time, thaw it on the counter until it's pliable enough to unfold without cracking, but still cold to the touch.

The acidic properties of vinegar inhibit gluten, some will say. This theory proposes that once the water and flour are combined, gluten starts forming, causing the dough to grow tough. Adding an acid, the theory goes, stops the gluten in its tracks and rescues the crust from toughness.

Chef Jürgen suggests adding the filling ingredients in a single layer after rolling out the dough; mixing the filling together prior to assembly will result in a soggy strudel as the sugar will draw the water out from the apples.

Strudel (in Yiddish, שטרודל, pron. shtrudl) in general is also associated with Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, particularly of German, Swiss, and Austrian Ashkenazi Jews. Apple and raisin filling is popular, but cabbage has historically also been used as a filling for a savoury strudel.

What's the difference between a strudel and a streusel? ›

Easy to confuse due to the similar names, strudel and streusel are actually different types of dessert. An apple strudel has thin sheets of pastry wrapped around the filling, while streusel is a crumbly sweet topping of sugar, flour, and butter that is often layered over pies and cakes.

Typically, phyllo dishes should have a finished thickness of 3 to 10 sheets per layer. (A one-pound box of phyllo contains about 20 sheets.) Tip: Phyllo pastries can often be very brittle when baked. We recommend using a serrated knife to cut the finished dish to prevent all of the filling from squishing out.

Most sources agree that rétesliszt is ground less finely than plain flour: it's not quite as coarse as wheat farina ("Cream of Wheat"), but it's definitely enough of a texture difference that you can feel it in the flour. Plain flour clumps when you pinch it; strudel-flour does not.

Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine, but is also a traditional pastry in the area formerly belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Strudel dough is quite unique where it is thin and crisp but also elastic, so it has a slight chew to it. Filo pastry isn't kneaded, so it is has a brittle and flaky texture that is quite different from strudel dough.

Once filled and shaped, the unbaked strudels can be frozen for up to two weeks. Place them in one layer on a baking sheet or in anzip top bag. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or seal the bag and freeze. Bake the individual strudels directly from the freezer on a lined baking sheet until golden brown and flaky.

Freezing uncooked pastry

Wrap well in plastic wrap, then seal in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Transfer to the fridge to thaw completely (this will take about 1 day).

Just tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap, then into freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months, then let it thaw in the refrigerator for an hour or two before slicing. Delicate doughs don't hold up well in the freezer—avoid freezing French macaron, pizzelle, or madeleine cookie doughs.

Both shortcrust and puff pastry freeze really well. They will last for 1-2 days in the fridge (if they are well covered in clingfilm), but if you aren't going to use it in that time, wrap the pastry tightly in cling film and pop it in the freezer.