Handfuls of flour are sprinkled across a patterned cotton cloth the length and width of the dining room table before a cold slab of handmade strudel dough is placed in the middle of it.
My hands fall quickly into a rhythm of gently stretching out the soft dough with each pass of the rolling pin until the reds and greens of the cloth underneath peak through.
Heaping spoonfuls of cinnamon- and sugar-coated chunks of apple are then piled along one edge of the paper-thin dough, and with assistance from the decades-old fabric underneath, the mountain of apples is blanketed by pastry.
With each roll, I gather more cloth into my hands and even more flour settles into my clothing until the fragile, handcrafted delicacy lands on a sheet of aluminum foil, crimped edges and all.
I’m the fourth generation of women on my mom’s side to have taken on the responsibility of preparing apple strudel for our family’s holiday table. Over the years, it’s been baked, sliced, and dusted with powdered sugar to be served on tables across several countries, states, and homes.
For a moment, nothing crosses my mind but the repetition of rolling the dough, piling on the apples and crimping the edges, which is a rare feat for a journalist, especially in the space before the holidays, but it’s a necessary one.
Time for quiet, concentrated work like this can be hard to come by at this time of year, as many of us know, and in continuing this special tradition, I’m reminded of just how important that time is. In the familiar repetition, a process crafted before me by my mom and grandmothers, I’ve found the space to take a step back and reset before heading into a busy holiday season.
The family tradition continues, and for the first time, two strips of strudel await in my freezer to be shared with my coworkers in the Democrat and Chronicle newsroom, a reminder for us all to make time for some self care every now and then.
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Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: D&C Reporter Emily Barnes on sweet taste of family tradition
