Meike Peters’ German Poppyseed Strudel With Cinnamon Crumbles

This was another one of my childhood favourites, soft and spongy yeast dough wrapped around a juicy poppy seed and raisin filling. In the North Rhine Westphalia area where I grew up, this rich strudel is topped with sweet and buttery crumbles which is simply amazing in combination with the seeds and pastry.

– Meike Peters

German Poppyseed Strudel With Cinnamon Crumbles

Serves 10

Ingredients:

For the dough

480g (3 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
80g (⅓ cup, plus 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
1 envelope (7-grams or 1 ¼-ounces) fast-acting yeast
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
175ml (¾ cup) milk, lukewarm
80g (⅓ cup) butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon to brush the strudel

For the poppyseed filling

420ml (1 ¾ cups) milk
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
250g (9 ounces) ground poppy seeds
80g  (3 ounces) raisins

For the crumbles

100g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
60g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60g (¼ cup) butter, melted (plus more as needed)

Method:

To make the dough

1. For the dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

2. Whisk together the milk and butter – the mixture should be lukewarm. Add to the dry mixture and mix with the dough hooks of an electric mixer for a few minutes or until well combined. Add more flour if it’s too sticky.

3. Transfer the dough to a table or countertop and continue kneading with your hands for a few minutes or until you have a soft and silky ball of dough. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place, or preferably in a 35°C / 100°F warm oven, for 70 minutes or until doubled in size.

To make the poppyseed filling

1. In a large saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest to a boil. Stir in the poppy seeds and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture is thick and the milk is soaked.

2. Stir in the raisins, set aside and let cool.

To roll the strudel

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, take it out of the bowl, and knead for about 30 seconds.

3. Dust a piece of parchment paper with a little flour. Roll out the dough on the parchment paper into a 35 x 35-cm / 14 x 14-inch square. Spread the poppy seed filling evenly on top of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-cm / 1/2-inch border all the way around.

4. Roll the dough up tightly, gently pull off the parchment paper while rolling the dough. The fold should be at the bottom. Close the sides well.

5. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, cover with a tea towel, and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes.

To complete the strudel

1. Brush the strudel with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and prepare the crumbles: Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl, add the melted butter and mix quickly with the dough hooks of an electric mixer just until it crumbles. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky, add more flour; if they’re too small and don’t form large crumbles, add more melted butter.

2. Immediately spread over the strudel, using your fingers to separate any large crumbles, and gently push them into the yeast dough. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the strudel is golden brown and baked through.

About Meike Peters

Meike Peters started her food blog, Eat In My Kitchen, in 2013. Though she lives in Berlin with her Maltese-American partner, she moves to Malta during the summers, and both locations – in addition to traditional family recipes – are what inspires her dishes. Meike’s first cookbook, also titled Eat In My Kitchen, will be published in September 2016 in German and English (Prestel / Verlagsgruppe Random House). Visit eatinmykitchen.meikepeters.com.

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