Braided Peach Strudel

This recipe really does not belong in the healthy eating category. Even if you were to substitute sliced fresh peaches, it doesn't. This is more of a Pantry Project item, but I'm not switching chapters just to do a couple of recipes.

I got this off the Pepperidge Farm website promoting their puff pastry dough. They have some fantastic-looking recipes, and I still have one sheet of puff dough. We'll have fun another day. I made two minor adjustments. I added nutmeg for a little accent and substituted walnuts because I have at least three pounds of it to go. I wish their recipe had included the suggestion of baking this on parchment paper, or at least greasing the pan. For future reference, whenever you put an egg wash on something, line the pan. Not only does it make cleaning easier, there's less of a chance of damaging the product as you pry it off the baking sheet.

You'll notice I put this under both breakfast and dessert. I can see serving a brunch with the strudel as the pastry.

1 egg

1 Tb water

*1 lb frozen peach slices, thawed and drained

1/3 C brown sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tb flour

*1/4 C walnuts, chopped

1/2 package puff pastry dough (1 sheet), thawed

2 Tb coarse sugar (granulated is OK, but doesn't look as pretty)

1. Beat together egg and water. Set aside.

2. Combine peaches, brown sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, flour, and walnuts. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400º. Unfold puff pastry sheet. On lightly floured surface, roll sheet to 14" x 12". Lay peach mixture down the middle of the 14" side.

4. Cut sides into 1" strips, stopping 1/2" from peach mixture. Fold strips across peaches, alternating sides, to make a braid. Carefully transfer pastry to a large baking sheet. Brush thoroughly with egg wash. Sprinkle top with coarse sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until evenly browned. Cool on baking sheet for at least 20 minutes before trying to transfer to a serving platter.

Serves 6

Difficulty rating  :)