Curd Cheese Strudel (Topfenstrudel)
Topfenstrudel Say it: TOP-fen-SHTROO-del
Topfenstrudel is the Alpine sweet strudel of Bavaria and Austria: a paper-thin sheet of elastic dough wrapped around a creamy filling of quark (fresh curd cheese), egg yolks, lemon zest and plump raisins. The rolled log bakes to a shatteringly crisp, blistered golden crust, while the inside stays soft, tangy and barely sweet. It appears in bakeries and home kitchens across southern Germany all year round, most often for Sunday coffee and cake, served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar or a pitcher of vanilla sauce.
Curd Cheese Strudel (Topfenstrudel)
Topfenstrudel
Pronounced TOP-fen-SHTROO-del
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 35 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the dough
For the filling
For brushing and finishing
Method
Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the lukewarm water, oil and vinegar. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, supple and springs back when you stretch it.
Shape the dough into a ball, brush it all over with oil and set it under an inverted warm bowl to rest at room temperature for at least 45 minutes, until completely relaxed.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small pan and toast the breadcrumbs over medium heat, stirring, until golden and nutty-smelling; tip onto a plate to cool.
For the filling, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until pale and thick. Stir in the quark, then the semolina, the cream and the drained raisins. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in gently.
Lay a large clean cloth on the table and dust it with flour. Roll the dough out, then slide your floured hands underneath and stretch it from the centre outwards until it is paper-thin and translucent, about 20 x 24 inches (50 x 60 cm); trim the thick rim.
Brush the sheet with some of the remaining melted butter and scatter the toasted breadcrumbs over it. Spread the quark filling over the lower two-thirds, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border.
Fold the side borders in, then lift the cloth and roll the strudel up loosely away from you. Slide it seam-side down onto a parchment-lined baking tray and brush with more butter.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45-55 minutes, brushing with butter twice more, until the crust is deep golden, blistered and crisp and a skewer in the centre comes out hot.
Let it rest for 15 minutes, dust generously with powdered sugar and slice with a serrated knife. Serve warm.
Regional variant: Milchrahmstrudel (curd strudel baked in cream custard)
Shape the same dough and filling into two shorter, thinner rolls and lay them in a buttered baking dish. Whisk 1 cup (240 ml) milk, 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream, 2 eggs, 3 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt and pour it around the rolls. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for about 50 minutes, until the custard is just set and the pastry golden, then serve the strudel in a pool of the warm cream.
Cook's notes
- Keep the stretched dough under a lightly damp cloth while you spread the filling; it dries out fast and splits.
- If your quark or ricotta is wet, drain it for an hour in a muslin-lined sieve so the pastry doesn't turn soggy.
- Roll loosely rather than tightly — the filling needs room to expand, and trapped air would burst the crust.
Serve with
Warm vanilla sauce or lightly whipped cream, and a cup of coffee.
Make ahead and storage
Bake up to a day ahead and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes; the unbaked rolled strudel freezes well for a month — bake from frozen, adding 15 minutes.
