Traditional Slovenian Štruklji (Rolled Dumplings with Quark)
Traditional Slovenian Štruklji (Rolled Dumplings with Quark) is a traditional Slovenian recipe for a classic dessert of a plain oil-based dough with an egg, quark cheese and sour cream filling that's rolled, bound in cloth, boiled to cook and served with butter-fried breadcrumbs. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Slovenian version of: Rolled Dumplings with Quark (Traditional Slovenian Štruklji).
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Štruklji is one of the most typical Slovenian dishes, prepared in every geographical region of Slovenia. And of course, each region has a different recipe! The dough used for štruklji can be either leavened or phyllo dough. The filling is either sweet or savory; in traditional recipes štruklji are filled with farmer’s cheese, walnuts, tarragon, apples, among others; in modern recipes there are basically no limits. They are either baked or cooked, served as an independent course or as a side dish.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
300g plain (all-purpose) flour (type 500)
150ml water
25ml neutral oil (eg sunflower or rapeseed)
2 tsp cider vinegar
pinch of salt
For the Filling:
500g quark or Slovenian skuta cheeses (use the home-made quark cheese recipe to prepare your own)
2 eggs
190g sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fine semolina for option
1 tbsp raisins Optional for sprinkle over the filling after spreading
For Serving (Optional but Traditional):
3 tbsp butter
60g breadcrumbs
sugar or honey (optional)
Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, water, oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined, then knead on a clean work surface for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a bowl and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Knead again briefly after this.
After the second kneading, let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. If it’s just for 30 minutes, you don’t need to cover it. However, if you plan to leave it longer (which is fine), form the dough into a ball, lightly coat it with oil, and wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) or place it in a zip-top bag. At this stage, if can be kept, refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Resting will help make the dough easier to work with.
Combine the quark, eggs, sour cream, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl, beating them together until smooth and thoroughly combined.
If the mixture feels too dry, add a bit more sour cream, milk, or any dairy product. If it's too runny, add some semolina, cornflour or flour.
If you're using raisins, sprinkle them over the filling after it’s spread—don’t mix them in. This helps avoid tearing the thin dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. You usually don't need to use flour, but lightly dust it if needed. Roll or stretch the dough into a rough rectangle. Then gently stretch it by hand from underneath until it's very thin-you should be able to see through it. A few small tears are fine.
Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 5cm clear space all around the edges. Sprinkle raisins on top if using.
Roll up the dough as tightly as you can from the long edge. If it sticks to the surface, use a bench scraper to help. Cut the final rolled log in half to make two rolls. Trim the ends if there's extra dough. Prepare two tea towels and lightly flour them.
Sit one roll on each towel, wrap them up, and tie the ends tightly with thin rope or sewing thread.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Carefully lower the wrapped rolls into the water. Cover the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Once done, let the rolls rest on a tray or cutting board for 15 minutes before unwrapping and slicing. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast until golden (about 3-4 minutes). You can add a little sugar or honey if you like.
Slice the dumplings into about 3cm lengths. Arrange on a warmed plate, spoon over the toasted breadcrumbs and serve immediately.
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