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Brown Sugar Peach Toaster Strudels Recipe

Brown Sugar Peach Toaster Strudels Recipe

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • All-purpose flour – forms the structure of the pastry and helps it puff into flaky layers
  • Salt – balances the sweetness in both the pastry and the peach filling
  • Cold butter – grated into the dough for flaky layers and melted into the filling and glaze
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream – adds tang and tenderness to the pastry dough
  • Cold water – helps bring the dough together without warming the butter
  • Cold buttermilk – adds richness and a slight tang; a milk-and-vinegar mix works as a swap
  • Egg – whisked into an egg wash for a shiny golden crust
  • Turbinado sugar – sprinkled on top before baking for a light crunch
  • Fresh peaches – the star of the filling cooked down until soft and jammy
  • Brown sugar – gives the filling a deep caramel-like sweetness
  • Maple syrup – adds natural sweetness to both the filling and the glaze
  • Cinnamon – brings warm cozy spice to the peach filling
  • Ground nutmeg – adds a subtle background warmth that pairs well with cinnamon
  • Cornstarch – thickens the filling so it stays put instead of leaking out
  • Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste – rounds out the flavor in the filling and glaze
  • Powdered sugar – whisked into a smooth pourable glaze for the topping

Method
 

  1. I start by whisking the flour and salt together, then grating in cold butter straight from the fridge. Cold Greek yogurt, water, and buttermilk get mixed in just until the dough comes together. I flatten it into a rectangle, wrap it up, and chill it for 30 minutes before the first fold.
  2. Once chilled, I roll the dough out on a well-floured surface and do one book fold, followed by three or four letter folds. I chill the dough for 30 minutes between each fold so the butter stays firm. This is what gives the pastry those flaky layers later on.
  3. While the dough chills, I cook diced peaches with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan until soft. A cornstarch slurry stirred in thickens everything into a jammy filling. I let it cool completely before using it, since warm filling melts the pastry butter.
  4. I roll the chilled dough out and cut it into even rectangles. A heaping tablespoon of cooled filling goes in the center of half the rectangles, leaving a border around the edges. I brush the edges with egg wash, top with the second rectangle, and press and seal with a fork.
  5. Each strudel gets brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with turbinado sugar before baking at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until deeply golden and puffed. While they bake, I whisk together the maple vanilla glaze so it's ready the moment they come out.
  6. I let the strudels cool for 5 to 10 minutes before drizzling on the glaze, since glazing too early makes it melt right off. Served warm with coffee, this is the moment all that chilling and folding pays off.

Notes

  • I always keep every ingredient for the dough as cold as possible, since warm butter is the enemy of flaky layers.
  • I make the filling an hour or two ahead so it has plenty of time to cool before I touch the pastry.
  • I work quickly during assembly and pop the strudels back in the fridge if the dough starts feeling soft.
  • I never skip sealing the edges with a fork, since that's what keeps the filling from leaking out in the oven.
  • I tuck a sheet of parchment between the folds so the dough doesn't stick to itself in the fridge.