Spinach Strudel ('Spinatstrudel')

Prepare the strudel dough:

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough. For such a small amount of dough, it's best to knead it by hand. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. You need to develop a strong gluten network so that the dough won't tear when you pull it out. Generously oil the surface of your kneaded dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare the filling:

Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 30 seconds until just wilted. Quickly cool it down in ice water. Then drain the spinach and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Make sure that your spinach is relatively dry so that your crust won't get soggy.

Heat the butter in a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic cloves and sweat for 3-4 minutes until the onion turns translucent. Add the onion and garlic to the spinach along with the feta cheese and yogurt. Add the sugar, nutmeg, black pepper, and spicy paprika powder. Mix well and season the filling with just a small amount of salt to taste.

Assemble your strudel:

Preheat your oven to 430 °F (220 °C) on the convection setting.

You will need a large work surface covered with kitchen towels to stretch out the dough. Lightly flour the kitchen towels, then take your dough and roll it out with a rolling pin as thin as possible. Pick up the dough with your knuckles and rotate it around in a circular motion as if stretching out pizza dough. The dough needs to be stretched out as thin as paper. It needs to be transparent. You should be able to read a newspaper through it. Stop stretching out your dough just before it is about to break. Place it back on your kitchen towels and stretch the sides with your hands to shape it into a rectangle.

Generously spread out the filling on top of your dough in one even layer. Roll the dough into one large roll as if making cinnamon rolls. You do that by lifting the dough from the back with your kitchen towel. Lightly wet the edge pieces of the dough with water to seal your strudel. Carefully pick it up with your hands and transfer the strudel to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Generously brush the strudel with melted butter before baking.

Bake your strudel:

Bake your strudel in the middle rack of your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden and crisp. It will take a long time for the crust to develop because at first, the moisture from the filling will steam the crust before it can crisp-up.

Take your baked strudel out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. It's best to let cool it down on a wire rack. The crust will lose some of its crispiness while the strudel rests. If that's an issue for you, then you can place the individual pieces back in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up again. This strudel is best eaten hot.