Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel

Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel… Ambitious? Most definitively. Challenging? I thought so. Grateful to have made it? Absolutely and on so many levels. Intrigued? Come and take a look at this collaborative effort with fellow Montreal blogger Kim from The Finer Cookie.

A few months ago, Kim, a fellow Montreal blogger from The Finer Cookie, messaged me with a proposal that I could not refuse.  

The general idea was to work together on a recipe. After a few brainstorming sessions, we decided that we would use a ricotta filling to achieve two different looks.

If you have been here before, you know that I love my ricotta desserts. Some of my favorites include Ricotta Pie, Rice Ricotta Easter Pie, Ricotta Cake, and of course, this Cannoli Dip Recipe with ricotta!  

I would attempt to use the ricotta filling in a classic strudel dough, whereas Kim, being more adventurous, was going to use phyllo dough. Once we decided on our plan of action, I was extremely excited to get started.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never made a strudel before.

If you know me, you know that I will rarely give up an opportunity to have a piece of strudel.

But let’s face it, there’s a big difference between making it and eating it.  I was a little apprehensive, but I was up for the challenge.

So, I researched the technique of making strudel and settled on trying a recipe where the dough is stretched paper-thin. The recipe for the dough is pretty straightforward. However, what intrigued me about this recipe is that you literally slam the dough against your wooden board about 100 times. The first time I made the dough, both my husband and daughter hurried into the kitchen, wondering what I was up to.

Once this process is complete, the dough needs to rest for a couple of hours. During this “rest” time, the ricotta filling can be prepared.

Now for the fun part! It would be best if you covered your kitchen table with a clean table cloth. Believe it or not, you are going to use the tablecloth to roll your strudel.

Sprinkle the table cloth and your dough generously with flour and begin to roll out your dough. Once rolled out as thinly as possible, brush some oil on the surface of the dough. This prevents the dough from drying out while you are stretching it out.

Are you ready to be amazed? Make fists with both your hands, get under the dough and stretch the dough. Keep pulling and stretching the dough, focusing on the center part. Continue to pull and stretch the dough gently. Once the dough reaches the entire surface of your table, try to anchor the dough on the side of your table. You will notice that the ends are a little thick. These can be cut off once you are finished stretching the dough.

Let the dough air dry for about 5 minutes, after which sprinkle and brush some melted butter over the entire surface. I have to say the first time I tried it, I did not put nearly enough butter… but you know what they say, practice makes perfect.

Spread some freshly made bread crumbs, followed by the ricotta filling on the top part of the dough, fold over about 3 inches of dough and start rolling with the help of the table cloth.

Transfer your strudel to a large baking sheet. Brush a little more butter on the surface and poke a couple of holes. This will prevent your Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel from bursting. Bake for at least 45 minutes.

Voila… you are ready to serve your Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel!

Recipe origins

As you can probably guess, there are two parts to this simple Italian ricotta cheese strudel-the ricotta filling and the actual dough to make the strudel.  

Kim graciously volunteered to create the ricotta cheese filling. Could you wait until you taste it? It is perfect! I am extremely grateful to Kim for creating such a wonderful filling and so will you.

Since I love the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ricotta, I added a pinch. I also used my very own Homemade Ricotta Cheese. 

The recipe for the dough was adapted from one of my favorite pastry chefs, Nick Malgieri. 

Since one of our objectives was to create two totally different desserts, but with the same filling, I would invite you to jump over to Kim’s site to admire her Ricotta Hazelnut Strudel Bites. I can honestly say that they taste as good as they look, and I think you’ll agree with me…they look great! Once you set your eyes on these little pockets of deliciousness, I am sure you will want to include them in your Easter baking.

Speaking of which, Easter is only two weeks away and I have a few more recipes that I really want to share with all of you. I hope you’ll come back and visit!

You can also easily sign up for my updates!

I had an absolutely wonderful time making this recipe.

Thanks, Kim! It was great collaborating with you!!!

Recipe

Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel

For your next large gathering, this recipe for a Simple Italian Ricotta Cheese Strudel is always appreciated whether served for brunch or dessert.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: European

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Maria Vannelli RD

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Ingredients

Strudel Dough:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• warm water
• extra ¼-1/2 cup flour for kneading
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to grease bowl to grease the bowl

Ricotta Filling:

• 2¼ cups ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon Grappa
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 lemon rind grated finely
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• pinch salt
• ½ cup whole hazelnuts skins removed, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted

The Assembly:

• ¼ -½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup melted butter
• 5 tablespoons freshly made bread crumbs

Instructions

Strudel Dough:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.
• In a 2 cup measuring cup, place eggs, oil and enough warm water to reach the 1 ¼ cup mark.
• Beat lightly together with a fork.
• Add to the flour and stir together.
• Turn over on a wooden board and knead together for a few minutes.
• Slam the dough on your wooden board about 100 times. According to Nick Malgieri, knead the dough 15-30 seconds every 20 times you slam your dough on the wooden board. Use ¼ cup fo flour to prevent dough from sticking to board.
• Place dough in a small bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil. Make sure to turn over your dough so that the entire surface of the dough is greased.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
• Prepare the ricotta filling while the dough is resting.

Ricotta Filling:

• Simply combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
• Mix properly together.
• Set aside until ready to use.

The Assembly:

• Cover your kitchen table with a clean table cloth..
• Sprinkle the table cloth and your dough with flour and begin to roll out your dough. Once it has been rolled out as thinly as possible, brush about 1 tablespoon of oil on the surface of the dough. (This will prevent the dough from drying out while you are stretching it out).
• Make fists with both your hands, get under the dough and pull the dough. Keep pulling and stretching the dough...focusing on the center part. Continue to gently pull and stretch the dough. Once the dough reaches the entire surface of your table, try to anchor the dough on the side of your table. You will notice that the ends are a little thick. These can be cut off once you are finished stretching the dough.
• Let the dough air dry for about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle and brush most of melted butter over the entire surface (you need about 1-2 tablespoons to brush over the surface of the rolled strudel).
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the entire surface.
• Spread the ricotta filling on the top part of the dough; fold over about 3 inches of dough and start rolling with the help of the table cloth.
• Transfer your strudel on a large baking sheet.
• Brush the rest of the butter on the surface and poke a couple of holes throughout the strudel. This will prevent it from bursting.
• Bake for at least 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 F.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enhance Your Cooking Experience!SCROLL UP for essential step-by-step photos embedded in the article above. When available, videos can be found in the next section. These visuals are designed to help you achieve perfect results every time. Happy cooking!

Notes

The dough needs to rest for about 2 hours.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

*adapted from Nick Malgieri; ricotta filling made by The Finer Cookie

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 2mg

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Ciao for now!

Maria