Quark Strudel in Slovenian Style

Ingredients

• 125 g dried apricots
• 600 g flour
• 1 cube fresh yeast (42 g)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 250 ml lukewarm milk
• 125 g softened butter
• 1 egg
• flour (for working)
• 4 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 750 g quark, well drained (or topfen)
• 2 tbsp semolina
• 125 g melted butter
• cinnamon-sugar mix (for sprinkling)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Pour about 100 ml hot water over the apricots and let them soak for approximately 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Place the flour in a bowl and form a well in the center. Crumble the yeast into it, add the sugar and 4 tbsp milk, and stir. Cover and allow to rise for about 20 minutes. Then knead in the remaining sugar, remaining milk, butter, and egg until a smooth dough forms that lifts from the bowl edges. Cover again and let rise for another 40 minutes.

3. 3.

   Whisk the eggs with sugar until fluffy. Stir in the quark, semolina, and drained apricots.

4. 4.

   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. 5.

   Knead the dough on a floured surface once more, then roll it into a circle about 4–5 mm thick. Place it on the sheet (or on the work surface if the sheet is too small) and brush with melted butter. Spread half of the filling in the center. Cut the edge into 5–6 fan-shaped slits up to the filling. Lay a thin piece of dough over the filling, brush with butter, add the remaining filling, cover with another dough piece, brush again, repeat until a round cake forms. Let rise for about 20 minutes.

6. 6.

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan).

7. 7.

   Bake the strudel in the oven for about 50 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter. Allow it to cool slightly, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar while still warm and serve.