Cheese Strudel

5 from 2 votes

This cheese strudel is an old, authentic, European family recipe that was brought over to Canada by my great, great grandparents. A fine cheese filling with raisins and cinnamon is wrapped in golden, flaky, phyllo pastry.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Chill Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Austrian, German

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Joss Dyckson

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Filling

4 cups dry cottage cheese
3 large eggs
3 fluid ounces heavy cream 6 tablespoons
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup raisins optional
⅞ cup plain breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Pastry

6 sheets frozen phyllo pastry thawed (12” x 16” each)
⅓ cup butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the dry cottage cheese to a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, until you get finer crumbles. You can skip this step if the dry cottage cheese is already fine enough (about the size of ricotta).
4 cups dry cottage cheese
Transfer the cheese to a large bowl and combine with the rest of the filling ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
3 large eggs, 3 fluid ounces heavy cream, 1 ¼ cups sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ cup raisins, ⅞ cup plain breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay one sheet of phyllo pastry out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Lightly brush the sheet with some melted butter, making sure to get the edges as well. (Place a clean, damp towel on top of the unused pastry sheets so that they don’t dry out. They dry out quickly because they’re so thin.)
Add another layer of phyllo pastry on top and lightly brush with butter. Repeat one more time (3 layers in total).
Add half of the cheese filling to one end of the phyllo sheets (the wider end). Roll it up into a log, leaving the ends open. Cut the log in half. If some pastry falls out, just push it back in.
Repeat with the remaining 3 phyllo sheets/filling. It will make 4 strudel logs in total.
Carefully place each strudel in a buttered bread pan. Brush the top of the pastry with some more melted butter.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve.

Notes

Wax or Parchment: Wax paper is my preference over parchment paper because it’s cheaper and does the job just as good.
Thicker Phyllo Option: If you prefer a thicker pastry, you can do 4 layers of phyllo instead of 3.
How to Store the Cooked Strudel:
- The cooked cheese strudel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wait until it’s cooled, cover it well with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
Freezing Instructions Before Baking:
- To freeze the raw strudel before baking, wrap it up in wax paper or parchment paper and place it in a freezer bag.
- You can also freeze it directly in a buttered bread pan, as long as you place the bread pan in a freezer bag.
- It can be frozen for up to 3 months. (I usually bake two and freeze the other two for later.)
To Bake From Frozen:
- Thaw the strudel in the fridge overnight.
- Remove the strudel from the wrapping and place it in a buttered, bread pan.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.

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