Strudel is a traditional Austro‑German layered pastry, usually filled with a variety of sweet (and occasionally savoury) things. Coming from the German word for ‘whirlpool’, the pastry takes on a rolled form. In this masterclass, Martin Schett from Baking Industry Training Australia walks us through how to craft the perfect Austrian strudel, filled with sweetened cream cheese and fruit.
About Martin Schett:
Martin has been working in the baking industry for the last 40 years. After working in some small bakeries, he began his apprenticeship in a small patisserie in Austria. He specialised in the Hotel industry and advanced his career to work as executive pastry chef in international 5-star hotels in Austria, Switzerland, England, Brisbane, and Port Douglas.
Due to the passion and love Martin has for baking, the natural progression for him was to pass knowledge and skills onto the younger generation. Since starting his teaching career at Southbank Institute of Technology in Brisbane in 2000 and completing a Bachelor of Adult Education, Martin has gone on to work with Baking Industry Training Australia. He has now been with BITA for over 13 years and still enjoys helping young people achieve their career goals in the baking trade.
Austrian Cream Cheese Strudel with Martin Schett, Baking Industry Training Australia
WHAT YOU NEED
For the strudel dough
550g flour
100g egg
100g oil
5g salt
210ml warm water
For the cream cheese filling
325g butter
100g icing sugar
1g salt
5g vanilla paste
3g lemon zest
1kg cream cheese
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
125g sugar
Optional fruits, such as cherries or sultanas
WHAT TO DO
To make the strudel dough
Mix all dough ingredients for 5–6mins until just developed. It needs to have a very soft dough consistency.
Place in a bowl and brush with oil.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 30mins.
To make the cream cheese filling
Whisk softened butter, icing sugar, cream cheese, and flavours until creamy—about 10mins until smooth and there are no more lumps.
Start gradually adding the egg yolks and whisk for another 5–10mins.
Prepare a meringue with egg whites and sugar.
Fold meringue into the cream cheese mix gently, by hand.
Assembly and baking
Place the dough on a linen sheet dusted with flour.
To start off, roll the dough until it is thin using a rolling pin, then brush the surface of the dough with oil and pull it with the backs of your hands until it is paper thin.
Brush the dough with melted butter.
Spread the cream cheese mix on the bottom third of the dough and sprinkle with sultanas or fruits such as cherries or apricots, if desired.
Roll the dough up like a Swiss roll with the help of the linen cloth.
Pick up gently and place in a deep baking dish.
Brush the surface of the strudel with butter and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Bake at 180°C for 25–30mins.
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