Gratitude Is Mine:Strudel with Strawberry jam

Nothing quite reminds me of my childhood as the smell of homemade strudel, my favorite! Every bite brings back the memories and precious family moments. Strudel with Strawberry jam.

Dough:

1 cup milk

6 tbs butter (room temperature)

1 pack of dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons warm water

4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

2 eggs (beaten)

2 tbs sour cream

1 box of raisins (optional)

Filling -” Lekvar” strawberry butter

Preparation:

First, make the dough: heat milk until warm, add dry yeast with (½ tsp honey) and leave it to dissolve.

To plump raisins for baking, place them in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, drain, and use. If you want to add additional flavor, soak them in hot juice or hot water mixed with bourbon or rum.

Beat butter with eggs, sugar and sour cream. Add yeast mixture, orange zest, salt and sifted flour. Add raisins (optional) Knead until soft dough forms. Cover in plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place until double in size.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Take your dough, divide in 4 equal pieces and roll each one out on well-floured surface, into a rectangle. Brush each rectangle generously with strawberry jam, or filling of your choice. Roll longer rectangle sides towards the middle, but leave a tiny space in between. Place all rolled up strudels onto a baking sheet.

For a very glossy,yellow-golden hue, whisk a yolk until smooth and brush a thin layer over the dough. To stretch the egg-yolk mixture out, add 2 tsp. water.

Bake (30 min) until nicely golden. When cooled, sprinkle with some powered sugar and cut into pieces. Enjoy and make some sweet memories!

Fillings for Strudel can vary – from, apple or jam, poppy seed, walnuts & nutella, hazelnuts, almonds or cream cheese & cherry. Traditional and delicious homemade jam is “Lekvar plum butter” –

Lekvar is the old world term for fruit butter or jam, and is usually associated with prunes. This filling is slowly cooked with orange juice and zest– it will make your kitchen smell amazing. Popular Eastern European lekvars are plum, apricot, apple, raspberry, peach, cherry and strawberry.