Apple Strudel with Strudel Dough
A classic apple strudel that isn't that hard to make with a little practice and these step-by-step instructions. Make all three large strudels at once and freeze them in portions.
This is the Viennese way: an unsweetened dough rolled out a little, then stretched by hand until it is thin enough to see the kitchen towel through it. Butter-toasted breadcrumbs soak up the apple juices, and cinnamon sugar, raisins and slivered almonds go in as you like. The recipe makes three large strudels that fit on one baking sheet.
Instructions
- 1
For the strudel dough, whisk the oil and egg in a bowl, then add the vinegar and salt. Stir in the water and flour, alternating between them, and beat with a sturdy wooden spoon until the dough is smooth.
- 2
Slap the dough onto a wooden board or other work surface several times (basically throwing it down) so that small air bubbles form. Divide the dough into three and shape each piece into a smooth ball with your hands. Brush the balls with a little oil so they don't dry out, place them on a board or large plate, cover with a bowl and let rest for about 30 minutes.
30 min
- 3
Meanwhile, for the filling, melt the butter in a skillet and stir in as many breadcrumbs as the butter will absorb. Let cool slightly. Wash and peel the apples and cut them into small pieces.
- 4
Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll out one dough ball a little with a rolling pin, then lift it and stretch it larger in the air over the backs of both hands. Important: take off your rings first!
- 5
Lay a kitchen towel on the work surface, place the dough on it and carefully pull the edges with your fingers until it reaches the right size: a rectangle almost as large as your baking sheet. The dough is the perfect thickness when it is paper-thin and you can see the towel through it, but it has no holes yet. A few small holes are not a problem, though.
- 6
Cover the dough with about a third of the buttered breadcrumbs and a third of the apples, leaving a border free. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, raisins and slivered almonds as you like.
- 7
Fold in the short sides of the filled dough so nothing can leak out. Using the towel, roll up the dough from one long side into a strudel. Use the towel to transfer the strudel onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down (where the ends overlap).
- 8
Beat the egg yolk with a fork and brush it over the first strudel. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with conventional top and bottom heat. Repeat all the steps with the two remaining dough balls and brush those strudels with egg yolk at the end. The 3 strudels fit snugly side by side on one large baking sheet.
- 9
Bake the strudels for about 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve plain or with vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream.
40 min
Ago's Notes
- Coarse-grained wheat flour, sold in Austria and Germany as griffig or doppelgriffig flour (a little coarser than regular flour but finer than semolina), is recommended; German type 550 flour is the alternative.
- Use your favorite apples: home-grown ones are ideal, otherwise varieties such as Braeburn or Elstar.
- The filling is traditionally flavored to taste with cinnamon, lemon zest, perhaps a little rum, and almonds or other nuts.
- The butter-toasted breadcrumbs taste good and also soak up the juice the apples release while baking.
- Stretch the dough until it is thin enough to read a newspaper through, as the author's grandmother always says.
- The dough contains no sugar, so it also works for savory strudels such as a vegetable strudel.
- If you're short on time, buy ready-made strudel dough and make only the filling from this recipe.
- It's best to make all three strudels at once and freeze them in portions.
I love how this strudel turns out: a thin, crackly crust wrapped around soft apples that still keep a little bite. It is calm, hands-on baking, with no mixer and no store-bought pastry, just a dough stretched over the backs of your hands. In South Tyrol apple strudel is usually made with puff pastry or shortcrust, so this stretched Viennese dough feels lighter and more delicate than the Italian versions I know. The taste is buttery and gently sweet, with cinnamon, juicy apples and the toasty crunch of the breadcrumbs.
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