Hungarian Rétes (Strudel)

About This Recipe

Rétes (strudel) is Hungary's greatest pastry achievement and one of the most technically demanding preparations in European cooking. The dough is stretched by hand over a tablecloth until it covers the entire surface and is paper-thin enough to read through. Filled with sour cherries and breadcrumbs, then rolled and baked until shatteringly crisp, it showcases the extraordinary skill of Hungarian pastry-making.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 cupsbread flour
• 1 largeegg
• 2/3 cupwarm water
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1 tspwhite vinegar
• 500 gsour cherries, pitted (or other fruit)
• 1/2 cupsugar
• 1/2 cupfine breadcrumbs, toasted in butter
• 1/2 cupwalnuts, ground
• 100 gbutter, melted

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, egg, oil, salt, vinegar, and warm water until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Knead 10 minutes until very smooth and silky. Wrap in a warm damp cloth and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. 2

   Stretch the dough

   Cover a large table with a clean tablecloth. Dust with flour. Place dough in the center and roll as thin as possible, then use your hands (backs of fists) to gently stretch from the center outward until paper-thin, covering the whole table.

3. 3

   Fill and roll

   Brush stretched dough generously with melted butter. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over 2/3 of the surface. Mix cherries with sugar and scatter over breadcrumbs. Sprinkle ground walnuts.

4. 4

   Roll using the tablecloth

   Lift the tablecloth from one end, letting the strudel roll itself up. Trim thick edges. Cut into 2–3 rolls to fit your baking pan.

5. 5

   Bake

   Place seam-side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30–35 minutes until golden. Dust with powdered sugar.

Variations

• •

  Fill with cinnamon apple and raisins

• •

  Use poppy seed and honey filling

• •

  Make a savory version with spinach and cheese

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Best eaten the day of baking. Reheat in the oven briefly the next day.

Frequently Asked Questions