Apple Strudel
Pastry stretched until a newspaper can be read through it, rolled around spiced apples, breadcrumbs and raisins, and baked until the layers shatter.
Photograph credit: Apfelstrudel et glace vanille by Arnaud 25 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
What Goes With It
- Vanilla sauce or whipped cream
- A strong coffee
- A glass of Riesling
Photograph credit: Apfelstrudel im Collegium in Tübingen by Dktue · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
How to Make Apple Strudel
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Mix the flour, salt, oil, water and vinegar and knead 10 minutes until very smooth and elastic — longer than feels necessary.
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Shape into a ball, coat it in oil, cover, and rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This rest is not optional.
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Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice, drained raisins and walnuts. Leave 15 minutes, then drain off any liquid.
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Fry the breadcrumbs in 40 g of the butter until golden and cool them.
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Cover a large table with a clean cotton cloth and flour it. Roll the dough out as far as it will go, then work your floured hands underneath and stretch it outward from the centre, moving around the table.
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Keep going until it covers about 60 by 80 cm and you can read print through it. Trim the thick edges.
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Brush the whole sheet with melted butter, scatter the breadcrumbs over two-thirds, and pile the apples along one short edge, leaving 5 cm clear.
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Fold the sides in, then use the cloth to roll the strudel up, keeping it tight.
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Roll it seam side down onto a lined tray, curve it slightly, brush with butter and bake at 180°C / 355°F fan for 40 to 45 minutes, brushing with butter twice more.
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Cool 15 minutes, dust heavily with icing sugar, and serve warm with cream.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Notes From the Method
Rest the dough a full hour. Under-rested dough tears the moment you stretch it.
The breadcrumb layer is what keeps the base crisp. Do not skip it.
Drain the apples before they go on, or the juice will find its way out.
Keeping What's Left
Best on the day. Refresh at 170°C / 338°F fan for 10 minutes; the pastry softens in the fridge.
Common Questions
How long does Apple Strudel take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 30 minutes of resting, so allow 2 hours 55 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. Garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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