Pumpkin Strudel
I have often made this pumpkin pie with homemade dough. That's because I like to have control over the ingredients and the texture of the dough is much more pleasant than store-bought ones. If I have pumpkin, I usually use this recipe for dessert or for a snack the next day. It's not complicated, but it requires a bit of patience with the dough. Nevertheless, the sheets are surprisingly easy to make after the first attempts.
Quick Info
Total time: about 2 hours (including rising and cooling)
Servings: 10-12 pieces
Difficulty: medium
Ingredients
For the dough:
500 g all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
250 ml lukewarm water
25 g fresh yeast or ½ teaspoon dry yeast
For the paste (for spreading on the sheets):
200 ml oil
10 tablespoons flour
Filling:
1 pie pumpkin, about 1.3 kg peeled
8 tablespoons sugar (can vary depending on the pumpkin)
1 teaspoon rum essence
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
roasted nuts, to taste (I usually add about a cup of coarsely chopped walnuts)
Preparation method
1. Dough for the sheets
In a large bowl, put the flour and salt. If using fresh yeast, dissolve it in lukewarm water. If using dry yeast, add it directly to the flour. Gradually pour the water over the flour and mix by hand until you get a smooth dough that no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for 3-5 minutes until elastic. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Preparing the paste
In a medium bowl, mix the oil with the flour, spoon by spoon, using a whisk or a wooden spoon. You need to obtain a thicker paste, not liquid. If it's too soft, add another tablespoon of flour.
3. Pumpkin filling
Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds, then grate it on a large grater. Sauté it in a pot with sugar over medium heat, stirring regularly. The pumpkin will release water, but it should reduce by half and become soft. Turn off the heat, add the cinnamon and rum essence, mix, and let it cool. Once cool, add the coarsely chopped nuts.
4. Rolling and folding the dough
Take the dough and roll it out on a clean countertop without flour, as thin as you can (about 3 mm thick). Spread all the cooled paste over the dough and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.
Fold the dough: bring the side edges toward the center, then fold the top and bottom edges inward. Then fold it in three, like a letter. If you want, you can fold it one more time in three. Cut the dough in half and put it in the fridge for 1 hour (this helps the texture, but if you're in a hurry you can skip this step).
5. Forming and filling the strudels
Take one half of the dough and roll it out thinly into a rectangle. Divide the cooled pumpkin filling into four. Place 1/4 of the filling on one of the long sides, and roll it inward. Do the same on the other side of the sheet with another 1/4 of the filling. Cut in the middle to obtain two rolls.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
6. Cutting and arranging in the tray
Cut each roll into pieces of 7-8 cm in length (to avoid breaking, use a thin-bladed knife and move gently without pressing hard). Place them in the tray on baking paper, leaving a small distance between them.
7. Baking
Preheat the oven to 180°C. You can brush the rolls with a little water and sprinkle sugar on top, but it's not mandatory. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the tray and let the strudels cool for 10-15 minutes, then dust with sugar.
Why I make this recipe often
This pie keeps well for 2-3 days, it doesn't dry out quickly, and the sheets remain tender even after cooling. I can easily adapt it – sometimes I use an apple filling or even cheese. I like that I know exactly what I put in it and can control the sweetness.
Tips and variations
Tips
If the pumpkin is very watery, after sautéing you can put it in a strainer for 10 minutes, so it doesn't wet the sheets too much.
When rolling out the dough, don't use flour on the countertop – the sheets will become finer.
If you don't have patience for all the folds, doing one or two will still yield good results.
Substitutions
Instead of pumpkin, sautéed apple filling with sugar and cinnamon works very well.
For those who don’t want nuts, they can be omitted or replaced with raisins.
You can use margarine or coconut oil instead of oil for the paste, but the final texture will be slightly different.
Variations
You can add a little ginger or lemon zest to the filling for extra flavor.
The sheets can also be cut into small squares for individual snacks.
Serving ideas
They can be served for breakfast, plain or with a little plant-based yogurt.
Cold, in a pack, for a snack or dessert.
Warm, with powdered sugar, alongside tea.
Frequently asked questions
1. Can I make the dough a day in advance?
Yes, the prepared and folded dough lasts in the fridge until the next day. Take it out 20 minutes before rolling it out.
2. Can the baked strudels be frozen?
Yes, after they have cooled completely. Wrapped well, they last in the freezer. When thawing, heat them in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
3. If I don't have fresh yeast, can I use dry yeast only?
Yes, ½ teaspoon of dry yeast (2-3 g) is sufficient for the amount of flour in the recipe.
4. Can the sheets be made with whole wheat flour?
Yes, but the sheets will be denser and less flaky. I recommend a 50-50 mix with all-purpose flour.
5. Can I skip the powdered sugar on top?
Of course, it's not essential, but it helps with the appearance and final taste.
Nutritional values (estimated, per piece – 1/12 of the recipe)
Calories: 220 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Proteins: 3 g
Fats: 8 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Most calories come from carbohydrates and fats. The pumpkin brings some fiber and vitamins, while the nuts add a boost of healthy fats.
Storage and reheating
The strudels keep well at room temperature in a covered container for 2-3 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them. They can be reheated in the oven at 150°C for 6-8 minutes – this way they remain flaky. If they dry out slightly, cover them with a clean towel while cooling.
Dough: We put the flour with the salt in a bowl and mix well. When adding the yeast, it should not come into direct contact with the salt as it inhibits growth. We put water in a measuring cup and add the fresh, crumbled yeast. If using dry yeast, sprinkle it directly over the flour. Add lukewarm water (it should be warm, not hot) to the flour and mix with your hands until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Let it rest while we prepare the cold roux. In a bowl, we put the oil and then add the flour spoon by spoon, mixing well with a whisk until it becomes homogeneous. We need to obtain a thicker roux, meaning it should not flow like water! If it seems too soft, add another spoonful of flour! We roll out the dough on a clean work surface (without greasing or dusting with flour) as thin as possible, aiming for a thickness of about 3 mm. We spread the cold roux over the dough and distribute it evenly with a spoon. We fold the dough by bringing the edges inward (the four edges) and then fold it again in the same way, then fold it into thirds (like a letter) and then fold it into thirds again (but this is not mandatory). We cut the dough in half and place it in the fridge for an hour. It can be worked with without refrigerating, but cooling will make it flakier! You might understand better how we folded it from the pictures below: Pumpkin filling: We cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, and peel it. We grate it on a coarse grater and sauté it in a pot with sugar. Attention! The sugar can vary depending on how sweet the pumpkin is! My pumpkin needed more sugar. When it softens, we turn off the heat and add rum essence and cinnamon, mixing well. Let it cool before making the rolls. Once cooled, we add toasted nuts cut into larger pieces. We roll out each half of the dough as much as we can, then divide the pumpkin filling into four equal parts. We place the filling along the edges of the dough and roll the sides inward as shown in the picture below. We will get 2 rolls from each half of the dough. When joining the two rolls, we cut the dough with a knife. Each roll (strudel) is lightly cut (like bread, without pressing) to a length of about 8 cm. We line the baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the rolls closely, one next to the other. We can leave a space of half a cm between each. If they stick together, it’s no problem; they will bake just fine! We can brush them with water and sprinkle sugar on top or dust them with sugar after they have browned. We preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) and bake our strudels until they turn golden. They should brown nicely, then we dust them with sugar and enjoy them warm or cold! Enjoy your meal! They are delicious! And they can also be filled with apples.
Ingredients: for a large baking tray Dough: 500 g flour 1 pinch of salt 250 ml warm water 25 g fresh yeast (or 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast) Cold sauce: 200 ml oil 10 tablespoons flour Filling: 1 pumpkin for pie of approx. 1.300 Kg 8 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon rum essence 1 teaspoon cinnamon roasted nuts (as much as desired, about a cup, for example)
