bread and pastry

Hand-Pulled Apple Vertuta

Name: Hand-Pulled Apple Vertuta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6–8 slices
Cuisine: bread and pastry
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing; 1 egg; 3–4 baking apples, grated or thinly sliced; Granulated sugar for filling and coating

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Prep

30 minutes

Cook

25 minutes

Total

55 min

Serves

6–8 slices

Crisp, papery, and apple-filled through every layer, this Moldovan coiled pastry is made from hand-stretched dough pulled thin enough to see through. The coil bakes into dozens of flaky layers with soft apple and sugar between them.

Ingredients

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing
1 egg
3–4 baking apples, grated or thinly sliced
Granulated sugar for filling and coating

Instructions

1
Knead the flour, oil, egg, and a small amount of water together aggressively for 8–10 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough with a slight sheen. Let rest for 15 minutes.
2
On a clean work surface, roll the dough out, then use the backs of your hands to stretch and pull it outward until it's paper-thin, almost transparent. Work slowly from the center out.
3
Brush the entire sheet lightly with oil. Scatter the apple evenly across the surface and sprinkle with sugar.
4
Roll the sheet up tightly into a long cylinder, then coil the cylinder into a spiral shape. Brush the top with beaten egg.
5
Bake at 185 °C (370 °F) for 25 minutes until deep golden. Dust heavily with powdered sugar.

Cook's Note

Knead this dough hard for a full 8–10 minutes before you rest it. It needs to be smooth and elastic enough to stretch into a sheet you can almost see through without tearing. If it still tears too easily when you pull it, it needs more kneading.

Best Served With

Hot spiced compote or coffee. Also good with a dollop of thick sour cream.

Why This Recipe Works

Pulling the dough into a thin sheet by hand then brushing it with oil before rolling traps dozens of thin layers of air and fat in the coil. Those layers separate in the oven and give the pastry its crisp, shattering texture, something a simple rolled dough doesn't do.

Make It Yours

Mix tart cherries or cinnamon-spiced walnuts into the apple layer.
Add a pinch of cardamom to the sugar.
Use pears instead of apples.

Leftover Strategy

Best the day of, the pastry softens overnight from the apple moisture. Reheat in the oven at 190 °C (375 °F) for 5 minutes to bring the crispness back.

Want to impress guests with this dish? Ask Jeff →

Pairing

Spiced apple compote or black tea. An off-dry Riesling works well as a dessert pairing.