Viennese Apple Strudel
A famous Austrian classic dessert!
Servings Prep Time
8servings 1.5hours
Cook Time Passive Time
35minutes 1hour
Servings Prep Time
8servings 1.5hours
Cook Time Passive Time
35minutes 1hour
Ingredients
Strudel Dough
Strudel Filling
Instructions
Strudel Dough
  1. In a medium size mixing bowl, add water, oil, salt, lemon juice and about half of the flour. Mix with wooden spoon until a batter like consistency forms. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing with spoon until it comes together and can be kneaded by hands.
  2. Knead for the next 10 minutes in order to develop required gluten structure that will allow for thin stretching of the dough. The dough should be moist but not sticky. Add flour if necessary but not more than 2 tbsp. Don’t rush to add more flour until you try to knead the dough first. Often pick the dough and throw it firmly at the unfloured work surface. Don’t hesitate to throw it hard. It will stick to the work surface like a play dough. This will greatly help with gluten development which in turn will make the dough very elastic.
  3. Shape the dough in a smooth ball and coat it completely with oil. Put in a small, plastic covered bowl and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Strudel Filling
  1. Melt butter in a medium size pan over medium heat, 5 out of 10. Add bread crumbs and toast stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once the bread crumbs are golden brown remove from the heat and transfer into a cool bowl, set aside.
  2. Mix raisins and rum in a small bowl and set aside for minimum 10 minutes.
  3. In a different bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
  4. Toast walnuts for about 7-8 min. in a dry pan over medium heat, 5 out of 10. Keep pan shaking to avoid burning. Transfer to a cool bowl and set aside.
  5. Peel, core, quarter and slice apple into 5 mm (1/4″) thick slices. Occasionally drizzle cut apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Assembly
  1. Roll out the dough with rolling pin on a lightly floured counter. Once stretched dough is about 30 cm (12″) diameter pick it up and start stretching it with backs of your hands. Put knuckles of both hands in the middle and as dough is draped over your hands gently stretch it outwards buy spreading your hands apart. Rotate the dough after each stretch. Once the dough becomes too big to handle put it down on a floured tablecloth. Keep stretching the dough by going around perimeter and by gently puling it with your hands at a very low angle. Once the dough is thin and approximately 60 cm (23″) diameter it is done. Trim the thick edges and discard.
  2. Brush the half of the stretched dough that is farther away from you with roughly half of melted butter.
  3. Spread the toasted breadcrumbs evenly on the half of stretch dough that is closer to you. Don’t cover it all, leave about 30 mm (1″-1 1/2″) space around the edge.
  4. Spread the apples evenly over the bread crumbs.
  5. Top evenly with drained raisins and chopped walnuts.
  6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  7. Fold in stretched dough 3 sides along the edges that are kept clear of filling. Each fold is about 2.5 cm (1″).
  8. Using a table cloth roll the strudel by starting from the apple filled side and continue all the way to the other end.
  9. Transfer the strudel to a baking pan lined with parchment paper. You can transfer the strudel with table cloth and just roll it off to the baking pan. Make sure you put the seam side at the bottom. Brush the strudel with the remaining melted butter.
  10. Position the rack in the upper third of the conventional oven and heat to 205 ºC (400 ºF). Bake until the strudel is deep golden brown or 35-40 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.