Recipe: Poppyseed Strudel

Anyone who is a regular visitor of the Gay Hussar will know one thing: our poppyseed strudel is always on the menu. Why? Well, it's not because our chefs can't be bothered to change the menu, oh no, it's because our strudel is so amazing! To quote one of our beloved customer's comments on Trip Advisor: 'the strudel is to die for'. We can't help but agree!

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Anyone who saw the pastry episode of this series' Great British Bake Off will have seen how tricky filo pastry is to make. Luckily in this day and age, there are always cheats available, and filo pastry bought from the shops is more than acceptable. 

This recipe can be made a day ahead, very useful for forward planning!

Ingredients

100g poppy seeds

70ml milk

125g granulated sugar, plus a little extra

3tbsp butter

zest of half a lemon

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

6 large sheet of filo pastry

50g butter, melted

1. To make the filling, heat the milk, sugar, salt, poppy seeds, butter and lemon zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Add the vanilla.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Place a sheet of filo on one of the tray and then lightly brush with melted butter. Sprinkle over 1 tsp sugar. Repeat the process until there are 3 layers of filo. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo on the second tray.

3. Divide the poppyseed mix along the shorted edge of both the pastry sheets and gently roll into two logs, tucking in the ends as you go. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle over 1 tbsp sugar. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pasty is golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly and then cut each strudel into 6 diagonal slices.

Serve two slices each with vanilla ice cream.