4 c Flour, (preferably bread flo
2 ts Salt
2 Large eggs
2 1/2 c Water
8 tb Butter (unsalted), melted
1 ts White vinegar or lemon juice
Strained (optional)
Sift the flour and salt onto a board or into a large bowl. Make a
well in the center. Lightly beat the eggs with a fork, then beat in
the water and half of the melted butter. Add the vinegar or lemon
juice, if desired. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the flour.
Stir until all of the flour is incorporated into the egg mixture and
the dough is smooth. On a floured board, knead the dough for at LEAST
10 minutes; or until it is smooth, shiny and blistered on the
surface. Brush the dough generously with melted butter, place it in a
bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Cover a large table completely with a floured cloth. Place the dough
in the center of the cloth and, working in all directions, roll out
the dough as thin as possible. Spread a little melted butter over the
dough, and stretch it with your hands--CAREFULLY working all around
the table to avoid tearing the dough--until it is very thin and almost
transparent. As you stretch, brush the dough with more butter as
necessary. Cut off any thick edges, then let the dough rest for about
15 minutes before using it. NOTE: The 2 lbs of dough produced by this
recipe can be stretched into a sheet about 6 feet square--enough for
two 3-foot strudels. Any excess dough can be restretched. With
practice in stretching the dough, you may be able to make a
6-foot square out of 1 pound of dough.
