December 21, 2015 – Breakfast Strudel

In This Issue:

RECIPE: Savory Breakfast Strudel
Tips for Baking with Puff Pastry
<For Making a Breakfast Strudel>

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“Breakfast Strudel for a Merry Morning”

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Looking for a different breakfast during the holiday season? Try our recipe for a savory Breakfast Strudel! Most of it is assembled ahead of time, then baked and served hot. Check out the recipe below and tips on how to bake with puff pastry.

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Making a Savory Breakfast Strudel

Do-Ahead 
1. Prepare the filling layers.
2. Defrost dough, then roll & cut lengthwise

At this point, the three filling layers and the rolled pastry may be wrapped well with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight..

3. Fill the pastry. Roll, seal, wash & cut slits. Bake.

Tips for Baking with Puff 

While you can certainly make your own puff pastry, we find that prepared puff pastry sheets, found in your grocer’s frozen food section, are totally adequate, and quite versatile for sweet or savory dishes. Here are some tips that we’ve found helpful when working with puff pastry:

Tip 1: Defrost Gently
Thaw pastry sheets at room temperature for about 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. Do not unfold until pliable to avoid tearing.

Tip 2: Keep it Cool! The temperature of the pastry should be on the cool side – warm enough to roll and be pliable, but cool enough not too melt or mix with the flour layers. Chill periodically if it becomes too warm and sticky.

Tip 3: Lightly Dust! Lightly dust the working surface when rolling the dough to minimize sticking. Brush away any excess flour with a pastry brush prior to sealing layers together and before baking.

Tip 4: Adjust the Thickness! There’s a lot of puff in the puff pastry directly from the box! A handy rule of thumb: puff pastry will bake to 8 times its original thickness. So, a 1/4-thickness will bake to 2-inches in height. For most 
uses, roll the sheets to a 1/8-inch thickness, approximately 12” x 15” in this situation. When cutting shapes or top decorations, roll even more thinly.

Tip 5: Apply Shine!
For a final shiny appearance when baked, apply a light egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water) over the top surfaces of the puff pastry. The egg wash also makes a good “sealant” when pinching layers together.

Tip 6: Use a Serrated Blade! At serving time, use a knife with a serrated blade to cut through the layers with a slight sawing motion. 

What is Puff Pastry? (pâte feuilletée)

Made from only four everyday ingredients, flour, salt, water, and butter, it’s how the ingredients are put together that make the magic happen. Dough is formed with flour, salt, and water and rolled into a rectangle. A block of butter is also rolled into a rectangle of the same size and laid on top of the dough. The two layers are fused together which qualifies this dough to be known as a “laminated” pastry. Using an “envelope fold” where the dough is folded and overlapped in thirds, two layers become six. Rolled to a similarly sized rectangle, then folded again, the layer count is now eighteen. The layers continue to multiply quickly tp 54, then 162. When baked, the butter layers melt, and steam “puffs” the pastry as it turns a lovely golden brown.

For Making Breakfast Strudel:
CHOPSTIR
Chops and stirs! A clever little tool that’s indispensable in our kitchen when browning ground meats.

SWISS DIAMOND 12.5” NONSTICK SKILLET
Don’t even try to make scrambled eggs in any other pan! The unique diamond-infused cooking surface does it best!

RIMMED BAKING SHEET
This rimmed sheet is a kitchen essential! Heavy gauge metal that won’t warp or bend. So versatile, so many uses.

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Make gladly, give willingly, receive graciously, celebrate joyfully, live fully!