Pear Strudel With Cottage Cheese and Raisins
Easy step by step recipe for a delicious pear strudel, filled with pear slices, cottage cheese, raisins and toasted breadcrumbs. Filo dough is made entirely from scratch.
EQUIPMENT
- 1 baking pan
- 1 Rolling Pin
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
- 300 g flour
- 150 ml water
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling:
- 1 kg pears
- 500 g cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
- 75 g butter
- 100 g dried raisins
- 6 tbsp bread crumbs
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
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INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the pears ( 2.2 lb) thin enough to roll the dough easily, but leave them chunky for juiciness. In a bowl, mix two eggs, sugar (2 tbsp), and cottage cheese (2.38 cups) until smooth.
- Toast the breadcrumbs (6 tbsp) in melted butter until golden and fragrant.
- In a bowl, mix flour (2.4 cups), water (0.63 cups) with dissolved salt, and oil (1.5 tbsp). Combine with fingers or a fork until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add water if too dry.
- Shape into a ball, lightly oil, and rest covered at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 356°F (180°C). Cover a kitchen table with a floured cloth or sheet.
- Roll out the dough, brush with oil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Stretch the dough gently towards the table edges using the backs of your hands until paper-thin. Trim thicker edges.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the dough, but cover only two-thirds with the filling. Add pear slices.
- Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon (2 tbsp), and raisins. Drizzle with lemon juice if desired and add toasted breadrumbs, spreading them evenly over the filling.
- Fold the sides over the filling and use the cloth to roll the dough into a log.
- Cut into sections and transfer to a greased baking tray or roll whole into a greased round pan. Dot with butter for a golden, crispy finish.
- Bake for 55 minutes at 356°F (180°C) until golden brown and crisp.
- Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy!
NOTES
Give the dough its full hour of rest. Skip it, and the gluten's still too tight to stretch; you'll end up tearing holes right through it.
Don't go light on the oil once it's rolled out. Coat it well, then pull outward with the backs of your hands in slow circles, working from the middle out. Use the biggest table you've got.
Toast those breadcrumbs and don't skip them, they're doing real work soaking up the extra juice so you don't end up with a soggy bottom. If you're after more crunch, cover the whole sheet before you add anything else.
Slice the pears thin; they might tear straight through that paper-thin dough. If you'd rather have a softer filling, grate the pears instead or give them a quick sauté with sugar first.
Soak the raisins before you use them; they'll plump right up. Water's fine. Rum's better if you're not driving anywhere.
For a very crisp bottom, bake it straight on the oven floor for the first 20 minutes. A brush of butter partway through keeps it from drying out, and if the top's browning too fast, throw parchment over it for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Replace pears with thinly sliced apples or juicy plums for a classic twist. For a summery treat, use cherries or blueberries instead. Create a borek-style pastry with cheese and spinach, cabbage, or zucchini.
This strudel keeps at room temperature for three days, longer in the fridge. It freezes beautifully raw, too, so you can make it ahead; just let it thaw before baking.
NUTRITION
Serving: 307g ~Calories: 470kcal ~Carbohydrates: 73g ~Protein: 14g ~Fat: 15g ~Saturated Fat: 7g ~Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g ~Monounsaturated Fat: 5g ~Trans Fat: 0.3g ~Cholesterol: 72mg ~Sodium: 339mg ~Potassium: 394mg ~Fiber: 7g ~Sugar: 21g ~Vitamin A: 418IU ~Vitamin C: 6mg ~Calcium: 115mg ~Iron: 3mg