German Strudel With a Twist

Although my grandmother Mamke was German, Aunts and Uncles hailed from Slovenia. This Strudel recipe, prevalent in both countries, has my personal twist to it

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package puff pastry, thawed
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1⁄4 cup  plain breadcrumbs
• 4  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1⁄2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1  cup dried cranberries
• 4  large apples, cored, cut into 10 slices each
• 2  peaches, pitted and cut into 6 slices each

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. On a large area sprinkle half the flour, place the rectangle of puff pastry on the flour, Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough, as well as on your rolling pin and roll the dough, as thin as you can get it, so that it forms an even rectangle approximately 18 inches long by 12 inches wide.
3. Gently brush off the excess flour with a dry towel or soft brush.
4. Dip the brush in the melted butter and lightly coat the dough rectangle (save a little to help seal the ends later and to brush over the top).
5. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the bread crumbs and 3 Tbsp brown sugar and the cinnamon.
6. With the long end facing you start placing the cranberries, apples, peaches, along the bottom, keeping about 1 inch away from the edge of the dough. I like to keep my fruit slices a bit larger than the original recipe, giving it more firmness when baked.
7. Brush the perimeter with some of the melted butter .
8. Now gently start rolling away from you, gathering any fruit that gets loose. My grandmother and father used to spread the flour and dough on a tea towel which helped them to roll the streudel with ease.
9. Finish rolling the dough and seal the edges. Place on a non stick cookie sheet and shape into a large U.
10. Lightly top with the remaining butter and sugar.
11. Bake in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes, till nicely browned on top. Remove from oven and let the streudel sit for 10-15 minutes then with a large spatula move to a plate.
12. Slice a piece or two, serve with french vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of caramel and enjoy.
13. what about combining any two of the following fruits: Pear, Plum, Kiwi, Banana, Apricot.