Ingredients

Servings 6

For pasta

• ½ lb all-purpose flour
• 7 oz sugar
• 2 tablespoons seed oil, or ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup water
• salt to taste

For filling

• 2 lb ripe black cherries
• 3 ½ oz breadcrumbs
• 2 oz butter
• 5 oz sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 pinch cinnamon

Preparation

30 minutes preparation + 40 minutes cooking

For the filling:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Then, stir in the breadcrumbs.
Pitt the cherries using a knife, then toss them in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and buttered breadcrumbs.

For the dough:

In a bowl or on a flat work surface, mix together the flour, sugar, oil, sugar, hot water and salt. Mix until smooth and uniform.

To make the strudel:

Roll out the dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine. Place the filling on a little less than half of the sheets and use the remaining dough to cover the filling, sealing it around the edges.
Use a fork to poke hole in the dough and bake in a 425° F for about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Food History

Strudel is one of the symbolic dishes of Europe and can be found throughout the continent in many different shapes and forms. Although strudel is generally associated with Austria, it can be traced back to Turkish culinary traditions. Between 1526, the year that the Turks began dominating the Hungarian Empire, and 1699, the year in which the Hapsburgs conquered the Ottomans and took over Hungary, the Hungarians adopted many Turkish traditions, including their culinary ones. Once of the desserts that made its way to Hungary was  “baklava, ” a sort of strudel filled with dried fruit and spices.
Following the annexation of the Hungarian Empire by the Hapsburgs, this dessert began to be prepared by the Austrians who substituted the dried fruit with apples, widely available in their country and giving life to strudel as we know it today.
When in 1815, the Congress of Vienna declared the independence of Venice from the Austrians, strudel was already well-known in the region and later became a typical dessert of northeastern Italy.

Other suggested recipes

• Apple strudel 
• Torta Colonne (sour-black cherry jam tart) 
• Cherry and Ricotta Tart