Birnen-Mürbeteig-Strudel (pear shortcrust strudel)
A shortcrust version of strudel rather than the traditional stretched dough, rolled around pears and butter-toasted breadcrumbs and baked until the pastry is short and golden. It is far more forgiving than a proper stretched strudel dough, and a fair trade for a firmer, less paper-thin pastry.
Prep30 min
Cook35 min
Rest30 min
Oven190°C
Servings10
Christoph's shortcrust version of strudel, a more forgiving dough for the same filling, at the cost of the paper-thin traditional pastry.
Ingredients
Written for a 35 × 25 cm baking sheet
Units
Temperature
Servings
Dough
- 280 g flour rounded
- 40 g sugar rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
- 140 g cold butter, cubed rounded
- 1 egg rounded
- 20 ml cold water rounded
Filling
- 50 g butter rounded
- 70 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 900 g firm pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced rounded
- 70 g sugar rounded
- 3 g ground cinnamon rounded
- 1 lemon, zest only rounded
- 30 g raisins (optional) rounded
To finish
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing rounded
- 20 g icing sugar, for dusting (optional) rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs, then work in the egg and water just until a dough forms. Shape into a rectangle, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Melt the 50 g butter in a pan and toast the breadcrumbs over medium heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool.
- Toss the pear slices with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and raisins, if using.
- Roll the chilled dough out into a rectangle, about 35 by 30 cm.
- Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs over two-thirds of the dough, leaving a border, then spread the pear filling over the breadcrumbs.
- Roll the strudel up from the filled end, tucking in the sides as you go, and transfer seam-side down onto a lined baking sheet.
- Brush with the beaten egg. Bake at 190°C for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden brown.
- Cool slightly, dust with icing sugar if using, and serve warm.
Notes
- The breadcrumb layer absorbs the juice the pears release as they bake, which is what keeps the underside of the pastry from turning soggy while it is still in the tin.
- This shortcrust dough is far more forgiving than a stretched strudel dough, and does not need to be paper-thin; a firm, even rectangle rolls up cleanly without the risk of tearing.
- Firm pears hold their shape better than very ripe ones, which can collapse into mush during the bake; slightly underripe is safer here than overripe.
- It is best the day it is baked, still slightly warm; it keeps for 2 days at room temperature but the pastry softens noticeably.
Ingredient substitutions
- Firm pears can be part-replaced with apple for a mixed-fruit version, using the same technique.
- Raisins can be dried cranberries, or left out for a plainer filling.
- A few chopped walnuts scattered in with the breadcrumbs is a good, traditional addition.
- A drizzle of warmed apricot jam brushed over just before serving is a good finish if icing sugar alone feels plain.
From Christoph Mayer