November 12, 2012 - 1:27pm
Strudel from ITJB
Anyone make this? I just received the book which is great...but.... for the apple strudel page 149 shortening is listed as an ingredient but no where in the recipe is it written how or when to use it! Can someone advise? Thanks!
Donna
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Unfortunately, you will find that there are lots of errors in the book. You can find the corrections at:
http://www.insidethejewishbakery.com/ Click on "Errata" near the top of the page.
To exacerbate the problem with errors in the book, I find nothing in the errata pages that explain how the shortening in the studel recipe is used.
Go to this page:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/messages/new/483?destination=user%2F483
and send an email to Eligans. I'm confident he'll give you the information you're looking for.
I had already made the necessary corrections from the errata for this 2nd printing book but obviously no one noticed this one yet ;) I have another pretty excellent strudel recipe so I think I might just make the dough from the book and use my other recipe for assembly. I did send a message to Eligans so we'll see :)
Thanks for taking the lead on this one abbygirl. Eligans is very good about helping solve issues with the book and I'm confident he will include comments on this thread also. If he doesn't, please let us know what he has to say. Even with the flaws in the first edition I still love this little book.
I started putting that one together today and the sour isn't acting at all like described (becoming bubbly) and it has been longer than the time stated...I hope this isn't a bust...
The Jewish Deli Rye is my favorite bread to make from the book. I follow his proportions but increase the water a bit because I use freshly milled whole grains and they tend to be thirstier. The sour is definitely firm so will not bubble like a more liquid rye sour will. What I look for as an indication of 'ripeness' is a nicely aerated dough that has 'bulged' a bit. (I sprinkle a bit of rye flour over the top of the sour and it will separate as the sour ferments. The spaces between the flour tell me how it is fermenting.)
The sour is built in 3 stages over a 24 hour period so it does loosen up during that time period but is still on the firm side. This dough is a firm dough too that can be proofed free form and still hold a nice shape. If too much water is added it will not hold it's shape.
Since yours is taking longer to mature, try moving it to a warmer spot. Rye likes warmth when fermenting. Also make sure your water is warm when being added to the mix.
Hope it turns out for you. It is a wonderful loaf and smells heavenly when baking :-)
Janet
Thanks a bunch for your reply Janet! I was tempted to just use the sour in a tried and true recipe but now I am encouraged to give it a go. I stuck it in the fridge last night due to my indecision ;) Appreciate the tips on the sour !
By the way...I just tasted the sour it is pretty tangy so I am going to proceed with the recipe ;)
I would love to hear how the final loaf turns out :-)
Janet
It came out AWESOME! What a wonderful dough to handle and yet still have a very light crumb! Very impressed! I am gearing up my started for another batch! Thanks again!
Thanks for letting me know how it turned out. I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you too. I bake for friends a lot and this is one of the favorites for all of them. When I bake other rye breads I now use the method this one has to build the leavens for them too since it is really easy to do and turns out so well.
I love the way the dough handles too. Like a lump of wet clay when shaping it. Nice and smooth - as long as I keep my hands wet :-)
I have also made this bread with onions. I just dropped the caraway seeds out and added dehydrated onions in the dough. Those loaves got rave reviews too. :-)
Janet
Here goes:
Thanks for the heads-up. The shortening is used to coat the dough generously before stretching so that it doesn't dry out. This omission will appear in the Errata.
Stan
Good job, abbygirl. Thanks for advancing the cause.