Vegan Strawberry Toaster Strudel

This recipe is the grown up version of my childhood favorite, toaster strudels. When I liked a food, my parents would just buy it in bulk as I would eat it everyday. So I had a lot of toaster strudels growing up. Strawberry was my favorite flavor! So this recipe for vegan strawberry toaster strudel really hits the spot for me. It is a grown up, more sophisticated version. These have a homemade roasted strawberry jam, with vegan rough puff pastry. They are buttery, flaky and just the right amount of sweet with the jam. The strawberry flavor really shines. 

Now, this recipe for vegan strawberry toaster strudel can be a template for different flavors! I think it will work with blueberries, or any other berry fruit! Or hear me out… a vegan hazelnut chocolate filling could be amazing! Really this recipe is just two components, the rough puff pastry and an amazing fresh strawberry filling. My biggest tip is the freezer is your best friend. Whenever you feel like your dough is getting too warm, and sticky just pop it into the freezer for a few minutes. The heat is not your friend and it will ruin your puff pastry. Also if you would like to not do everything in one day, the rough puff pastry and jam can be made a couple days in advanced. Just store in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and bake!

Rough Puff Pastry

The part of this recipe that takes some patience and skill is this rough puff pastry. It is easier and quicker than a full puff pastry but still requires some special attention. A puff pastry is compromised very simple ingredients, usually just flour, butter, water and salt. Sometimes you will see sugar included as well. But the ratio of flour to butter can be up to 1:1 equal parts. Puff pastry gets really flaky by creating layers of butter and dough. When the puff pastry cooks in the oven, the butter melts and creates steams. This allows the dough to puff up and create super-light, crisp and flaky pastry. 

The main difference between a full puff pastry and a rough puff pastry is how the butter is incorporated. In a full puff pastry a dough is made and then a butter block gets encased in the dough. Once the butter block is in the dough, you roll out the dough and do a series of folds, then roll again. It is very time consuming, but oh so delicious.

A rough puff pastry is a bit simpler, and less time is needed to create a delicious flaky dough. Chunks of butter are incorporated into the dough instead of a block, and less folds are made. The results are amazing for the little amount of time and effort put into it. I really love this video from Erin Jeanne McDowell, she goes heavily in depth about all types of puff pastry, how to fix mistakes, and best methods. 

Puff Pastry Tips 

I do have some additional tips for making a vegan puff pastry for this vegan strawberry toaster strudel. Because vegan butter melts so much quicker than a traditional dairy butter, my number tip is always keep your dough and butter cold! I like to stick my cubed vegan butter in the freezer before making this dough. Another tip is to put your flour in the freezer too, especially if you’re making this in the summer. This is the biggest issue most people have when trying to create flaky vegan pastry.

I mention above that at any point in this recipe, if you feel like the dough is getting sticky and too warm, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. It is better for you to be cautious, than try to power through! You don’t want to spend all this time creating a dough and mess it up just because the butter got too warm.

Another tip I have, is if the dough is resisting rolling out, just wrap it back up and place in the fridge. At this point, the gluten has been worked too much and it just needs a rest. Place it back in the fridge for 10 minutes and that should help make it roll out easier. 

Dough Hydration 

The other issue is putting too little or too much water in the dough. It’s very important to get the hydration right. Every flour has a different hydration point, so I cannot give you an exact amount of water for this recipe. Go slow with the water and add a little bit at a time. A perfectly hydrated dough will hold together and not fall apart when squeezing with your hands. If you’re really unsure about what to look for, reference the video above! Erin gives great tips on hydration.

Strawberry Jam

I love fruit, especially strawberries. This roasted strawberry jam is just a tad sweet and almost has a caramel flavor to it. It’s really lovely in this vegan strawberry toaster strudel. The process of making this jam is really super simple. Chop your strawberries and throw all the ingredients in a pan and mix! They roast low and slow to fully develop their flavors. It’s really a hands-off experience, you just need to check in on them every 20-30 minutes to give them a quick mix. Save any leftovers you may have use on some toast, or maybe use on my vegan biscuit recipe!

If you don’t want to make your own jam, feel free to use a store bought jam of your favorite flavor! Just make sure it isn’t a runny jam as your filling will ooze out of your vegan toaster strudels. This jam is really worth the little effort it includes though. It is a little tart and almost has a hint of caramel. It is a unique flavor and so delicious!

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Vegan Strawberry Toaster Strudel

by: Katelyn

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Vegan Strawberry Toaster Strudels with Roasted Strawberry Jam and Puff Pastry

• Difficulty:Hard
• Prep Time:60 mins
• Cook Time:180 mins
• Serves:12
• Freezable:No

Nutrition per portion

Ingredients

• Roasted Strawberry Jam
• 1 ½ Pint Fresh Strawberries, Quartered
• ¾ cup (150g) Sugar
• 1 ½ tsp (6g) Vanilla Extract
• Rough Puff Pastry
• 2 ¼ cup (288g) All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup (226g) Vegan Butter, Cubed
• ¼ tsp (2g) Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cup (75g) Ice Cold Water
• Glaze
• ½ cup (60g) Powdered Sugar
• 1-2 tbsp (15-30g) Oat Milk or Any Other Non-dairy Milk
• 1 tsp (4g) Vanilla Extract
• "Egg" Wash
• ¼ cup (60g) Oat Milk or Any Other Non-dairy Milk
• 1 tsp Agave Nectar

Method

Make the Roasted Strawberry Jam:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
2. In a large ceramic or glass baking dish, combine the quartered strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Mix to combine. Let sit while the oven is preheating.
3. When the oven is preheated, place the baking dish in the oven. Check and mix the strawberries every 20-30 minutes.
4. The strawberries will be done once they are dark in color, slightly shriveled, and jammy. The sugar will also start browning. This will take about 1 - 1.5 hours.
5. Let cool slightly, and mash with the back of a fork. If you like your jam smooth, let cool completely and blend in a food processor.
6. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely. Store in the fridge if making in advanced. Can be made 2 days in advanced.

Make the Rough Puff Pastry:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk to combine.
2. Cube the butter, then add to the bowl with the flour. Coat each cube of butter in the flour, then take each piece of butter and smoosh between your index finger and thumb to flatten. Set aside each piece in the bowl, trying to work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. If the butter becomes too warm it will get worked into the dough and you will not achieve the flakiness desired, this is especially true with vegan butter as it melts quicker. Coat each flattened piece in flour. At this point if your butter is warm, place the whole bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the ice water to the well and start to mix with a spoon to evenly hydrate. You are looking for your dough to be uniformly combined and when squeezed together it holds. You can add more water a tablespoon at a time, until it gets to this stage. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten and let the butter firm up.
4. On a lightly floured surface, take one of the pieces of dough out of the fridge and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick into a rectangle. Brush off any excess flour, and fold the dough in half. Then fold in half again, so you end up with quarters. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place back in the fridge. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat the previous step 3 more times (for a final total of 4 rolls and folds). If you work quickly you can fit in 2 series of rolling and folding in one go. But don't rush it, if the dough is soft and sticky just take your time and return to the fridge.
6. Once the final fold is completed, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preferably 1 hour before assembling. Store in the fridge if making in advanced. Can be made 2 days in advanced.

Assemble the Toaster Strudels

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into an 8- by 15-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into twelve 4- by 
2 1 ⁄2-inch rectangles. Put the rectangles on the baking sheet and lay another piece of parchment paper on top. Repeat with other half of the dough. Lay the cut rectangles on top of the parchment paper on top. Wrap baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until oven is preheated. The freezer is your best friend here, if any dough starts to get sticky and warm, place on a sheet tray in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm back up.
3. To make the "egg" wash, mix the oat milk and agave together in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay out 6 dough rectangles on one of the prepared baking sheets. Dollop about 1 heaping tablespoon of jam in the center of each piece of dough and spread into an even layer, leaving about a 1/4 inch border along the edges. Brush the edges with some "egg" wash and top with another dough rectangle, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Using a sharp knife, make a small slit in the tops of the toaster strudel. Wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm back up. Repeat with the remaining dough and jam.
5. Brush the tops of the chilled pies with "egg" wash. Bake them until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let the toaster strudels cool slightly.
6. While the toaster strudels are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, oat milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm toaster strudels. Enjoy!