My passion for baking usually revolves around sugar in some form, but occasionally I’m inspired to make something savory, and this strudel turned into my dream breakfast. Flaky dough surrounds a filling of sausage, cheese, eggs, and onions. Generous slices make a perfect Sunday breakfast!
I’m finding lots of uses for rough puff pastry – my new obsession – but this is my favorite so far. (I’m not tapped out yet, heaven help you.) The dough is much easier to make than traditional puff pastry or strudel dough, and can be made a day ahead, so breakfast will go together quickly. In fact, if you brown the sausage and onions and grate the cheese the night before, all you’ll have to do in the morning is roll out the dough, scramble the eggs, and assemble. Oh…and bake, of course.
The filling can always be modified to your preferences. Add mushrooms, spinach, green peppers, or diced cooked potatoes. More cheese, less cheese, even ham instead of sausage. This lovely dough can encompass any number of pleasant surprises!
Hint: if you’re adding anything juicy, like spinach or green peppers, sprinkle a generous layer of breadcrumbs over the cheese to help soak up excess liquid.
| Sausage Breakfast Strudel | Print |
- DOUGH:
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter
- ⅔ cup very cold water
- FILLING:
- 1 cup grated cheese of your choice (more to taste)
- 2 pounds breakfast sausage, browned and pressed firmly between paper towels to remove grease.
- 6 - 8 eggs, loosely scrambled (they will continue to cook in the oven)
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- 5 slices provolone cheese
- ASSEMBLY:
- ¼ cup melted butter
- DOUGH:
- Cut 1 cup cold butter into pieces approximately 1-inch square.
- Place flour on work surface, stir in the salt, and drop the butter onto the flour.
- With a bench scraper or metal spatula, chop the butter and flour together until combined. Don't overwork the mixture - you want to see chunks of butter larger than peas.
- Begin drizzling the water over the mixture with one hand, while flipping and tossing it with the other. Again, don't over do it! It should be a crumbly mess at this point.Use your metal utensil to form the dough into a rough rectangle about 5"x 8".
- Roll out dough to approximately 6"x10", using the metal scraper to form straight edges. Keeping the short edge facing you, Flip the bottom edge up to the middle (it will be crumbly...just do the best you can) and the the top edge down to the bottom. This will create three equal sized layers. Give the dough a turn to the left, lightly flouring the surface if necessary to keep it from sticking, and repeat. Repeat 3 more times. Wrap snugly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make the filling while the dough chills, OR at this point you can leave the dough in the refrigerator until the next day if you prefer.
- ASSEMBLY:
- Heat oven to 400 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Using the previous instructions, roll and fold two more times. (If you made the dough the day before, let the dough come to room temperature for 15 minutes first.)
- On a floured surface, roll dough as thinly as possible. Aim for 15"x18", with the short side facing you. Don't worry if your measurements aren't exact, but do make sure there's enough flour under the dough to keep it movable.
- Drizzle dough with half of the melted butter, spreading lightly with fingers or soft pastry brush.
- Beginning 3 inches inside the short edge facing you, and leaving 1 inch bare on either side, sprinkle the grated cheese from across the dough in a wide line.
- Cover the cheese in this order: sausage, scrambled eggs, green onions, slices of Provolone.
- Using a bench scraper or long metal spatula, lift the edge of dough facing you up and over the filling, as far as possible, and roll to the end.
- Pinch both ends and tuck under, pinching again. Carefully lift or slide onto parchment covered baking sheet, with seam side down.
- Coat with remaining melted butter and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until strudel is rich golden brown. Allow the strudel to cool for a few minutes before cutting it.
First, make the dough! (Don’t forget – this can be done the day before.)
Flour, salt, and butter – ready to chop-chop!
Roughly chop together. Don’t blend in the butter – chunks are what make it flaky!
Fold like a book, with the open edge to your right. First fold is very rough. If it’s pretty, you overworked it. It WILL come together!
Second fold is a little better
After five folds, the dough is wrapped snugly and refrigerated for 30 minutes (or until the next day, if you’re the plan-ahead type).
Fold two more times, and then roll out the dough. Coat lightly with melted butter.
Spoon sausage over a layer of grated cheese.
Add scrambled eggs, onion, and slices of Provolone.
Roll it up!
Pinch the ends, tuck under, and place on parchment covered pan. Coat with melted butter.
And BAKE!
I made this for just the two of us, and ended up freezing a huge portion of this for later. It’s rich and filling, and will easily serve eight people. Oh, and did I mention it’s scrumptious?
It is!
Lorinda