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Apfelstrudel (Apple strudel)

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Ingredients

  • Flour 2-1/2 cups (300 g)
  • Salt
  • Oil 5 Tbsp, see Note below
  • Butter 3-1/2 Tbsp (50 g)
  • Raisins 2 oz (50 g)
  • Rum 4 Tbsp, see Note below
  • Walnuts chopped, 2 oz (50 g) (If you prefer, you can also use almonds. Don’t hesitate to be daring. You can even roast them a bit in a hot pan.)
  • Butter 7 Tbsp (100 g)
  • Breadcrumbs 2 oz (50 g)
  • Sugar 1/2 cup (110 g)
  • Lemon 1
  • Apples 2 lbs (1 kg), Boskop or Elstar are the recommended varieties
  • Cinnamon ½ tsp.

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, a pinch of salt, 4 Tbsp of oil and 2/3 cup (150 ml) of lukewarm water in a bowl.
  • Knead the dough until it is smooth and a bit shiny, but not too long or it will be too stiff. Form into a ball, cover with some oil and place on a plate.
  • Pour hot water into a pot, dump out the water and turn the pot upside down over the dough ball. Let the dough rest at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Melt 3-1/2 Tbsp (50 g) butter in a pan.
  • Add in the breadcrumbs and roast gently.
  • Mix in 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar and let the mixture cool.
  • Zest the lemon and press 4 Tbsp of juice.
  • Peel, core and quarter the apples. Slice into ¼ inch (5 mm) slices.
  • Combine the apple slices, lemon zest and juice, raisins, walnuts, the rest of the sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
  • Melt 7 Tbsp (100 g) of butter.
  • Lay a very large kitchen towel or a small tablecloth onto your work surface. Lightly flour the towel.
  • Between the rolling pin and your hands the goal is to get the dough paper thin and into a roughly square shape of 24 inches x 24 inches (60 cm x 60 cm).
  • Brush the square with half of the melted butter. Spread the breadcrumb mixture onto the bottom fourth of the square, leaving a 1-1/2 in (3 cm) wide edge.
  • Spread the apple filling on top of the bread crumbs.
  • Fold over the edge and with the help of the kitchen towel, roll the square into a strudel.
  • Place with the seam facing downward onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Brush off extra flour. Brush on the rest of the butter.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • Sift powdered sugar on top.
  • Serve with any sort of decadent cream-based topping. Whipped cream for wimps, ice cream or vanilla sauce for the brave.

Notes

Oil: I used olive oil but in retrospect it would probably have been better to use canola oil or maybe even coconut oil.
Rum: I didn’t include rum. I know, shocking. But since I was serving the strudel to three toddlers and a pregnant woman I resisted. If you like rum, use it to soak the raisins in for a bit before mixing with the apple slices.