Strudel part 2
Room temperature proofing:
1/3 cup warm water
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp neutral oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
1/8 tsp fine salt (not kosher, not giant chunks of pink)
1 cup + 1 tbsp bread flour (or use 2 tbsp wheat gluten instead of the 1+ tbsp flour).
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Mix water, oil, lemon juice, and salt in a big bowl. Acids like lemon juice or vinegar help relax the gluten and make the dough more elastic.
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Stir in about half of the flour with a spoon until well combined. Stir this pancake-like batter for about 1 minute (helps developing gluten), then add the remaining flour, but set 1 tablespoon flour aside first, which you might need later*. Work the flour in with the spoon, until a dough forms and you can work it with your hands.
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Knead the dough until smooth for about 10 minutes, either in the bowl or on a working surface. The dough should be moist but not sticky. If it is too sticky to knead, add a little more flour. You shouldn’t need more than 1 or 2 additional tablespoons. Slam the dough onto the counter a few times to enhance gluten development, also good for aggression/stress relief.
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Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil to a small bowl, distribute it with your fingers and turn the dough around to cover it with oil.
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Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour at room temperature. You can also make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Stretching the dough:
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Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured counter. Flour the counter and the dough every now and then while rolling.
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When the dough reaches about 13-15 inch in diameter, pick it up then use the back of your hands, particularly your knuckles, to stretch it while turning it around (remove all sharp jewelry first) – kind of like pizza dough.
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When the dough gets bigger and thinner, and thus difficult to handle, put it down on a lightly floured tablecloth, straighten out the wrinkles in both the tablecloth and the dough. Continue stretching the dough on the tablecloth using your hands. Note: This works best if two people are working on opposite sides since the tablecloth can be slippery – but I’ve made it alone very often too, so no worries.
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Gently stretch the dough paper-thin from the inside to the outside, working your way around the sheet of dough. Stretch it until it starts to look translucent. You should be able to read the titles of a newspaper placed under the dough (don’t do this though, the ink would probably come off).
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When finished, the sheet of dough should have a rectangular shape, with the shorter edge fitting the baking sheet lengthwise plus an inch on each side overhang.
To fill, put half the filling on one half, leave a 1″ border.
Brush the exposed half with melted butter.
Carefully roll from the filling side, and gently place on a sheet of parchment paper, seam-side down.
Put that on a silicone mat, brush the top with melted butter, bake at 375F for around 30 minutes – ready when the crust is golden brown.
Let cool slightly, cut, sprinkle with powdered sugar.