Traditional Istrian Fig Strudel made from sweet yeast dough Recipe
This rustic bake is one of the most traditional and authentic sweet treats in the cuisine of Slovenian Istra, it is called by the locals kvašen štrudelj s figami or kvašen štrukelj s figami, and it is made from soft, brioche like sweet yeast dough and fig filling.
It is usually baked towards the end of summer and early autumn, when the figs are in abundance, and although fig filling is the most common and most traditional, other fruits can be used like apples, pears or plums, and different type of nuts can be added too.
This sweet fig log is a bit of a “gastronomic hybrid”, it looks like a strudel in a way that is rolled into a log like a strudel, but it is made from yeast dough, resembling quite strongly, in terms of flavour, to the dough that is used to make a traditional Slovenian nut roll, Potica.
This sweet bake used to be prepared and offered for special occasions as a dessert at the end of a big meal, and given to children as a snack and a special treat. Nowadays, it is also eaten for breakfast and offered with tea and coffee, but it is not commonly found in the restaurants and almost exclusively baked in the household.
Istrian cuisine is a no waste cuisine, so juicy figs, with their delicately perfumed flavour, when fully ripen and plentiful, would get picked, chopped, cooked down in a frying pan with some butter to bring out their innate sweetness, cooled completely and then frozen to be used during late autumn and winter season, when fresh figs are no longer available.
As a child, on the Slovenian coast, where I grew up, I would eat figs straight from the tree and the common sight of ripe figs slowly started to mark the end of summer and the start of cooler days, back to school days...
I am sharing here this slightly off the beaten track, very special recipe, passed to me by my nona Nada and her dear friend Arnanda. It was truly touching listening to them, deep in conversation about the recipe, and its different variations, even when the villages only a few kilometres apart from each another.
Celebrate this wonderful fruit that marks the transition into autumn and try this delicious bake,. However, if you cannot get hold of fresh figs, you can just use fig jam, or any other jam of your preference for the filling. Your friends and family will be seriously impressed.
Recipe
Ingredients for the dough
500g plain all purpose white flour
7g fast-action dried yeast (also called instant yeast) or 20g fresh yeast
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g caster sugar
250ml lukewarm milk or water or a combination of the two (125ml milk and 125ml water)
2 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
grated lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 Tsp sea salt
Ingredients for the filling
The filling is made from fresh figs, you can use other fresh fruit like apples, pears, plums or fig jam instead, or any other jam of your preference.
1kg, roughly, of fresh figs
20g unsalted butter
grated lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
200ml single cream or ricotta
Method
The dough
In a fairly large bowl, sift the flour, make a little well in the centre and add lukewarm milk, instant yeast melted butter, sugar, lightly beaten eggs, grated lemon zest and a pinch of sea salt on the side of the bowl.
Mix and combine well all the ingredients with the fork or a wooden spoon.
(If using fresh yeast, place it into a small bowl and slightly break it down into smaller pieces with your fingers. Add a few tablespoons of tepid milk, ¼ tea spoon of sugar, gently stir and leave for about 15-20 minutes or until gentle bubbles form on the surface).
Transfer the mixture onto a well floured working surface and start kneading, for about 10 minutes, adding a little flour at a time if the mixture is too wet and sticky (this will partially depend on the flour and the size of the eggs)
Alternatively, use a mixer fitted with a dough hook and leave running for about 5 minutes.
The dough is ready when it ends up being really smooth and elastic. It should not stick to your hands or working surface and should leave the bowl clean, if using a mixer.
Transfer the dough back into a very lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film (I use a shower cap, works really well).
Put the bowl in a warm room free of drafts for at least one hour and leave the dough to rest and rise, the dough should increase in volume and double in size.
While the dough is resting and rising start preparing the filling.
The filling
Wash the figs and pat dry them.
Transfer the figs onto a chopping board, half them, quarter them and then roughly chop them.
In a fairly large frying pan melt the butter and add chopped figs.
Cook them for a few minutes on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until they become completely soft and break down. (if the skin of the figs is still a bit hard, break it down with the help of a wooden spoon).
Cool completely and set aside.
Transfer cooked figs into a bowl, add the cream and the lemon zest, stir and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
Flour well your working surface and rolling pin. Put your dough onto a working surface and roll it out to a more or less rectangular shape (40cmx50cm) to the thickness of about or not more than 1cm.
This will give you a one big loaf, this is how it is traditionally made, and this is the size I made for this recipe.
Because of its size, it could be a bit tricky to handle if you are not familiar with the recipe.
I suggest you might want to divide the dough and the filling in half and make two logs instead.
Take the fig mixture and spread it evenly on the rolled dough but leave some space around the edge so the filling does not come out when rolling the dough.
Gently roll the filled dough quite tightly into a log and tuck well in the edges.
Place the log onto a baking tray, previously lined with baking parchment.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel , place it in a warm, draft free room and leave to prove for the second time for about 30 minutes or until well risen, not necessarily doubling in size.
Take a toothpick and make a little holes in the dough on the whole surface and brush with either some melted butter or beaten egg.
Bake in the preheated oven at 180C static, or equivalent, for about 50-60 minutes. Halfway through baking, tent the roll with the aluminium foil to prevent it browning too much and starting to burn.
Leave on a baking tray until completely cool.
Transfer on a serving plate, dust with icing sugar and serve.
Just a thought
For a more modern version of this traditional fig based sweet treat you can use ricotta instead of the single cream for preparing fig mixture filling and adding a splash of vanilla extract to both the filling and the dough mixture.
Fig roll tastes at its best the day after has been baked.
You can store it in an airtight container for up to five days and is suitable for freezing.
Wine suggestion
Alto Adige Moscato Rosa Passito DOC 2018 - Laimburg