Štrukli

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 200 mlwarm water
• 1egg
• 3 tbspoil
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspvinegar

Filling

• 700 gfresh cottage cheese or dry curd, svježi sir
• 2eggs
• 150 mlsour cream
• 1 tspsalt
• a pinch of sugar

To bake

• 300 mldouble cream
• 100 mlsour cream
• 1egg
• 50 gbutter
• salt

Equipment

• a large cloth spread over a table

To serve

• hot, from the dish
• as a main course or a side

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt, water, egg, oil and vinegar into a soft dough. Knead it hard for 10 minutes until it is very smooth and elastic. Knead it thoroughly. Only well-developed dough will stretch thin without tearing, and this is not the place to cut the kneading short.
2. Put the dough in the middle and roll it out as far as you can. Use the backs of your hands, never fingertips or nails, which puncture the dough instantly. Keep working around the table rather than pulling from one place. Stretch it until it covers the table and you can see the cloth through it.
3. Trim off the thick edges, which never thin out. Brush the sheet with a little melted butter. Spread the filling over about a third of the sheet, along one long edge. Lift the cloth and let the dough roll itself, which is far easier than handling it directly.
4. Roll it up into one long even log. Now press down across the log at intervals of about 8 cm with the side of your hand, sealing it into sections. Press right through to seal each section before cutting, so the filling cannot escape.
5. Cut between the pressed sections with a knife or a pastry wheel, sealing the edges as you go. Now for the boiled version, simmer the parcels in salted water for about 15 minutes.
6. Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a boil, which tears them open. They float to the surface when done. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain them, and serve them with browned butter and breadcrumbs, or with sour cream.
7. Mix the cream, sour cream and egg with a little salt and pour it over. Pour enough that the parcels are half submerged, so the tops brown while the bottoms poach in the cream.
8. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the cream is bubbling and thickened. It should be browned and blistered on top and creamy underneath. Rest it 10 minutes before serving, which lets the cream settle. Serve them hot, straight from the dish, with plenty of the cream spooned over.

Technique

• They hold protected status on Croatia’s register of intangible cultural heritage.
• The boiled version is the older home style and the baked one the restaurant standard.
• Slovenian štruklji are the close relative with a much wider range of fillings.

Substitutions

• Ready-made strudel or filo pastry, which is a common shortcut.
• Ricotta drained overnight in place of fresh curd cheese.

Variations

• Boiled and served with browned breadcrumbs.
• Sweet, with apple or cherry.
• With walnut filling.

History

Zagorje pastry filled with fresh cheese, boiled or baked in cream, and protected as Croatian intangible cultural heritage.

Frequently asked questions

What is Štrukli?

Štrukli is a main from Croatia: zagorje dough parcels of cottage cheese, boiled or baked. Zagorje pastry filled with fresh cheese, boiled or baked in cream, and protected as Croatian intangible cultural heritage.

How long does Štrukli take to make?

Štrukli takes 1 hr plus 30 min resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Štrukli?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made strudel or filo pastry, which is a common shortcut. Ricotta drained overnight in place of fresh curd cheese.

What is the most important thing to get right in Štrukli?

Put the dough in the middle and roll it out as far as you can. Use the backs of your hands, never fingertips or nails, which puncture the dough instantly. Keep working around the table rather than pulling from one place. Stretch it until it covers the table and you can see the cloth through it.