The very first strudel recipe was published in a Viennese cookbook in 1696. This publication is now a museum exhibit and is housed in the Vienna City Library. Many tourists take a photo of the recipe as a souvenir, so they can recreate this delicacy upon returning home. That very first strudel used milk cream for the filling, but we will prepare a more modern variety of this dessert – cherry strudel.

Every morning in any Austrian city smells distinctly of apples and cinnamon, or cherries and almonds, as attentive bakers prepare the famous roll for morning coffee at any time of year. The word "strudel" translates from German as "whirlwind" or "funnel." This is explained by the fact that the filling is wrapped in a sheet of dough, seemingly enveloping it.

The classic serving is a portioned roll (pictured), topped with a scoop of ice cream and dusted with powdered sugar. The combination of tart cherries and almonds, complemented by the aroma of vanilla, will drive anyone crazy. Try making this treat just once, and you'll love it so much you'll want to make it again and again. We'll look at one recipe where you prepare all the ingredients yourself, and another using a ready-made product.

How to make puff pastry

Cherry strudel 2

The strudel recipe is quite complex if you're making all the ingredients yourself. The dough required for this dessert is called puff pastry, and its preparation can be daunting for novice cooks due to the sheer number of steps involved. Only experienced cooks are willing to attempt making it themselves, but once you give it a try, you'll be able to treat your family and friends to a luxurious dish—a true cherry strudel.

So, here's a simple recipe for making the dough for this wonderful dish. You'll need:

  • 125 g flour (regular flour used for baking bread will do);
  • a pinch of salt;
  • 3 tsp vegetable oil;
  • 50 ml of warm water.

Follow these steps:

  1. Mix salt and flour in a deep bowl.
  2. Add vegetable oil and warm water to the mixture, stirring constantly.
  3. The mixture should be homogeneous; if you can’t stir it, add a little water.
  4. It's best to knead the dough on a counter or wooden board until it's smooth. This process can take about 15-20 minutes and can be automated using a food processor or bread machine.
  5. Cover the resulting smooth ball with a warm lid and let it rest.
  6. The main difficulty with puff pastry is achieving the required thickness. This is accomplished by rolling and simultaneously stretching the sheets. Refer to photos of the finished dish online for guidance. Experienced chefs achieve the required thinness with great skill and virtuosity.

And a video with the text recipe for clarity:

As you can see, the recipe is quite simple, but the key is to make the filling sheet incredibly thin. Viennese chefs recommend rolling out the dough so thin you can read a newspaper through it. Choosing the right flour is crucial for successful preparation. Use only flour that contains a lot of gluten. If you don't want to waste time on preparation, you can buy ready-made yeast-free puff pastry.

Making puff pastry strudel

Cherry strudel 3

This recipe will appeal to those who want to surprise their loved ones with a wonderful dessert, but don’t have enough time to prepare a delicious dish.

To prepare you will need:

  • 500 g ready-made puff pastry;
  • a pack of frozen pitted cherries (400 g) or the same amount of fresh berries;
  • 100 g almonds;
  • 1 cup sugar;
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs;
  • 100 g butter.

Cherry strudel 4

The recipe itself looks like this sequence of actions:

  1. The layers need to be rolled out thoroughly on the surface. They won't be too thin, as the dough is puff pastry, not stretchable, but still, try to apply maximum pressure at this stage.
  2. The cherries should defrost and the liquid should drain off.
  3. Toast the almonds in a frying pan to enhance their aroma.
  4. Grind the roasted nuts into flour and mix with sugar and breadcrumbs.
  5. Place the resulting mixture in an even layer on the rolled out sheets.
  6. Carefully arrange the cherries on top.
  7. Roll up the roll.
  8. Place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees to bake for 20-30 minutes.

To make the sauce for the roulade, you'll need the remaining cherry juice and a little sugar. Boil the candied juice until thick. Drizzle this sauce over the cherry strudel before serving. By the way, use this sauce recipe to add an elegant tartness to other dishes.

Don't forget to take a photo of your perfect dessert. And next time, try making it with a different filling. You can make this roll with apples, pears, poppy seeds, raisins, berries, or any other filling you like.

Video recipe for cherry strudel