Apple Strudel
This classic Apple Strudel recipe is made with a homemade flaky pastry filled with tender apples, warm spices, and a hint of sweetness.
Servings 10
Calories 347kcal
Ingredients
Pastry
- 200 grams / 1 ¼ cups bread flour see note
- 60 grams / ¼ cup sunflower or other neutral oil
- 80 milliliters / ⅓ cup water lukewarm
- ¼ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
Apple filling
- 100 grams / 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 80 grams / 2.8 ounces butter
- 1.5 kilos / 3 pounds apples
- 115 grams / 1 cup confectioner’s/icing sugar
- 50 grams / ⅓ cup raisins
- 5 grams / 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 grams / 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Pastry
- Place the flour into a large bowl and stir a well into the center.
- Add the oil, water and salt into the well and stir to form the dough.
- Combine the dough until no dry patches remain in the base of the bowl and it feels smooth to the touch.
- Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Apple filling
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Meanwhile, place 40 grams / 3 tablespoons butter on medium heat until it melts.
- Toss in the breadcrumbs and stir to until lightly toasted.
- Spoon into a small bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, peel, core and dice the apples.
- Place into a bowl, stirring the lemon juice. Toss in the sugar, ground cinnamon and raisins and stir to coat evenly. Set aside.
Making your strudel
- Place greaseproof paper onto a baking tray and lay the dough into the center of your baking tray and slowly and carefully roll out until it is thin enough to see your hand underneath or the details in your tea towel.
- Sprinkle ½ your breadcrumb mixture over the middle section of your pastry.
- Spoon over the apples over the breadcrumb mixture, allowing at least 1 ½ inches on all edges.
- Smooth out the apple edges so none are sticking out before you begin folding your thin pastry.
- Melt the remaining 40 grams / 3 tablespoons butter and brush over the entire edges of your pastry.
- To create your strudel shape, pull the pastry on the side off your work surface and fold over the apple filling, pulling it lightly to firmly place up against the apples.
- Repeat with the other side of your pastry, folding over your apples nice and snug on the edges.
- Pull the bottom portion of your pastry up and over the apples, with the help of your tea towel to smooth out the edges and ensure no pieces of apple pierce through.
- For the top portion of your pastry, fold as carefully as prior, but truly smooth over at your edges.
- Brush with the remaining melty butter, place onto your baking tray and place into the oven to bake for 50 minutes, until golden.
- Remove and allow to cool completely.
- Sprinkle over a little icing sugar, slice and serve.
- Dig in!
Video
Notes
- Flour: Plain flour is recommended in most recipes, however, Austrian plain flour has a protein level (what gives baking a firmer crust to your baked goods) of 14%. The average protein level in plain flour in the US is 11% and 10% in the UK. In fact, bread flour has an average protein percentage between 12-13% making it more ideal here, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we only knead the dough long enough to create a smooth texture. This doesn't activate the gluten to form a stiff finished product. Secondly, the dough needs to be rolled incredibly thin and hold itself up when shaping. The slightly firmer texture in bread flour will help avoid tearing in the dough.
- Apples: The apples used here were a mixture of ones I had picked and Granny Smith apples. This was a variety of sizes and the fact the flesh browned quicker than store bought. If you cannot pick your apples, it is recommended to use either Granny Smith or Royal Gala. These apples have a firm texture that hold their shape during baking and a slight sweetness which needs less added sugar.
- Lemon juice & Cinnamon: The lemon juice helps draw out moisture from the apples and stops browning, plain fresh lemon juice was used here as it has no additives. Ground cinnamon helps to give a depth of flavor to our strudel, though you can omit if you don’t like the flavor.
- Raisins: A traditional ingredient in strudel, however, if you or someone don't like raisins in baking, simply omit them. The raisins do add a little additional sweetness and depth in flavor here (sometimes, they’re even soaked in rum for 15 minutes before being added to the apples).
- Tea towel: An unusual necessary item for baking, but in this case, a clean tea towel doesn’t just give you a great additional area to roll your pastry on to without but also will help you roll the pastry nice and cleanly.
Store bought pastry: You can absolutely use store-bought phyllo or fill pastry in place of the homemade pastry. - Make ahead: Apple Strudel can be made ahead of time, making it a convenient dessert option for parties or gatherings. Simply store the baked strudel in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Warm it up in the oven before serving for the best taste and texture.
- Freezing apple strudel: After baking and cooling, wrap the strudel tightly and then place it in a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition
Calories: 347kcal