Cottage cheese strudel

After learning to make štruklji from Blaž’s grandma, she offered to teach and make together Cottage cheese strudel. It is similar to štruklji, but a richer and flavorful filling. And it is baked. Like all strudel, the basic part is making the pulled dough. After the previous session with štruklji, I was a bit more experienced with pulled dough. However, after spreading the filling and rolling the strudel, it was a very delicate thing to handle. Baked crisp brown and dusted with sugar, it was waiting on the counter for us to finish the lunch. Though lunch had also something my favorite, I could barely wait for it to finish. The strudel had a tempting smell. It was delicious. And delicious. I could not believe it would be so good. I could hardly stop myself from eating. And I guess I ate most of it. I can say, it is surely one of my best Slovene dish.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes around 12 pieces)

Dough:

250g flour (for yeast/pulled dough)
1sp salt
3tbsp oil
160ml water
Oil for smearing

Filling:
1/2kg cottage cheese
300ml sour cream
100g sugar
50g vanila sugar
100g raisins
Lemon rind
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites

Vanila sugar powder for dusting

METHOD:

1. Mix the ingredients of dough to make a soft dough. Smear it with oil. Let it wait for 30-40mins.
2. Cover a table with cloth and dust with flour. Roll the dough into a big circle, and then smear it with oil.
3. Slowly and gently start pulling the dough from center to outside. Pull it uniformly until it is around 140×80cm big and paper thin.
4. Let it wait and in the meantime prepare the filling.
5. Mix cottage cheese till it is smoot. Add the cream and mix well.
6. Separately beat the egg white until stiff. Add 1/2 of the sugar and fold gently.
7. In another bowl, beat the egg yolk and 1/2 of the sugar till almost stiff.
8. Add the egg yolk in the cottage cheese and mix well.
9. Add the egg white and fold in gently.
10. Add the washed raisins and lemon rind, and fold in gently.
11. Spread the mixture evenly over the whole pulled dough sheet.
12. Fold 3 sides and roll it into a log lengthwise (from the folded to the open side).
13. Smear it with oil and carefully put it on a baking tray.
14. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 45 mins. (When half done, the temperature can be lowered to 180°C).
15. Dust it generously with vanila sugar and serve warm.

NOTE:
Use a cloth for pulling the dough into a sheet. Later while rolling, gently hold up one side of the cloth and let it roll on its own.
The rolled strudel is very delicate and soft and needs careful handling.