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PdfIn my family Apple Strudel is the ultimate tradition and a “sacred” thing, honestly. In my childhood my mother used to bake it every Sunday as an after lunch dessert. Before her my grand mother and grand grand mother did the same. It is a must do for every woman in our family.
After so many years it is my turn to continue this tradition but sometimes I still struggle to stretch the perfectly thin dough which wouldn’t tear and be full of holes. The big secret is in how you knead the pastry dough and of course what kind of flour you use. In my country (Slovenia) we can buy the flour which is close to perfection for that kind of pastry, but since we have moved to the UK I am still looking for the right one. The plain flour is the closest to the flour we have in Slovenia and you can make a decent apple strudel from it. But some practise is needed to make a perfectly thin dough without holes. For those who are worried that making a perfect pastry dough for strudel is way too much but really wants to bake apple strudel there is always a commercially made filo pastry dough in every shop which can replace homemade pastry dough. It’s not perfect but not bad either.
Baking strudel is a very seasonal thing. You can use apples whole year round, but it is great with other various fillings.Strudels can be filled with almost any fruits. Cherries, grapes, blueberries are just a few of many options, but I think it is entirely up to your imagination. The second most popular strudel in our family is made from cottage cheese and sour cream mixture instead of fruits.
What do we need in this wonderful apple strudel recipe?
Apple strudel
Author:
Dominika
Serves:
8-10
Cook time:
60 mins
Total time:
1 hour
Ingredients
Place the flour in a bowl. Add salt, oil, vinegar. Mix all the ingredients together and start kneading the dough. Gradually add warm water and continue kneading. Knead the dough until it is smooth and tacky but not sticky. (about 5-6 minutes). At the end throw the dough hard onto your working surface. Continue with this for 2-3 minutes.
Form the dough into a small ball and cover it with pre-heated bowl (metallic) and leave to rest for about 30-40 minutes. I put the small metallic bowl on my gas cooker for 5-10 seconds. Always lift it up with protecting gloves on your hands!
Meanwhile peel the apples and grate them with a grater. Sprinkle apples with a juice of 1 small lemon (to prevent browning and to give them fresh taste).
Place the ball of dough on a well floured surface. Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough as much as you can.
Regularly lift the dough and dust it with more flour underneath to prevent sticking.
Gently start stretching the dough (at the edges) with your hands. When you stretch the dough lift it gently at the edge, reach under it and start pulling it towards you (with your flat hands). Keep stretching until it looks almost translucent.
Brush your stretched dough with melted butter, add grated apple filling.
Sprinkle the apple filling with sugar and cinnamon. Spread the apple filling all over the dough but leave an inch-wide borderline with no filling on all sides for easier folding.
Stretch the edge of the dough over the filling and start rolling it really gently. When you reach the dough without filling at the other edge fold it over the roll and trim away the rest (this dough will be later used to cover the end of the roll where it was cut into half).
Cut the roll into two halves and cover the end of the roll with remaining dough which was rolled out in the previous step.
IMPORTANT! Put a baking sheet close to your strudel. When you transfer strudel on the baking sheet grab it with BOTH hands and lift it up very gently.
Before baking cut the butter into small pieces and put them on the strudel.
Bake the apple strudel for 50-60 minutes. First 20 minutes bake it on 220C/fan oven 200C/428F/gas mark 7. After 20 minutes reduce the temperature to 200C/fan oven 180C/392F/gas mark 6 and bake the strudel on this temperature for the rest of the time.
Instructions
Method (step by step):
STEP 1:
Place the flour in a bowl. Add salt, oil, vinegar. Mix all the ingredients together and start kneading the dough. Gradually add warm water and continue with kneading.
STEP 2:
Knead the dough until smooth and tacky but not sticky. (about 5-6 minutes). At the end throw the dough hard onto your working surface. Continue with this for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3:
Form the dough into a small ball and cover it with pre-heated bowl (metallic) and leave to rest for about 30-40 minutes.
STEP 4:
I normally preheat the small metallic bowl on my gas cooker for 5-10 seconds. Always lift it up with protecting gloves on your hands!
STEP 5:
Cover the dough with the pre-heated bowl (metallic) and leave to rest for about 30-40 minutes.
STEP 6:
Meanwhile peel the apples and grate them with a grater.
STEP 7:
Sprinkle them with a juice of 1 small lemon (to prevent browning and to give them fresh taste).
STEP 8:
Melt the butter.
STEP 9:
Flour your working surface well.
STEP 10:
Place the ball of the dough on the surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin as much as you can.
STEP 11:
Regularly lift the dough and dust it with more flour underneath to prevent sticking.
STEP 12:
Gently start stretching the dough (at the edges) with your hands. When you stretch the dough lift it gently at the edge, reach under it and start pulling it towards you (with your flat hands). Keep stretching until it looks almost translucent.
STEP 13:
Brush your stretched dough with melted butter.
STEP 14:
Add grated apples and spread them over the rolled dough.
STEP 14:
Add grated apples and spread them over the rolled dough.
STEP 16:
Stretch the edge of the dough over the filling and start rolling it really gently.
STEP 17:
When you reach the dough without filling at the other edge fold it over the roll and trim away the rest (this leftover dough will be later used to cover the end of the roll where it was cut into half).
STEP 18:
Cut the roll into two halves and cover the end of the roll with remaining dough which was rolled out in the previous step.
STEP 19:
It should end up like this.
STEP 20:
Before baking cut the butter into small pieces and put them on top of the strudel.
STEP 21:
Don’t discard the apple juice. It’s such a refreshing and healthy drink.
STEP 22:
Bake the apple strudel for 50-60 minutes. First 20 minutes bake it on 220C/fan oven 200C/428F/gas mark 7. After 20 minutes reduce the temperature to 200C/fan oven 180C/392F/gas mark 6 and bake the strudel on this temperature for the rest of the time.
STEP 23:
When the strudel is baked sprinkle the two halves with icing sugar… cut into 2-3in (5-8cm) wide pieces…
STEP 24:
…and then have a piece with your favorite cup of coffee.
Our coffee choice for apple strudel recipe:
Cappuccino
Espresso
Cafe latte
Turkish coffee
* all combinations have been tested with medium roast Arabica blend
Apple Strudel and coffee make a really good match. If you have it for breakfast then cappuccino is a great coffee choice. But in the afternoon the Turkish coffee takes yummy apple strudel experience on even higher level. My husband (and other members of our family) never says no to that kind of breakfast and we usually don’t leave the table until the plate with yummy apple strudel is completely empty.
Baking tips:
Good to know: