Apple Strudel with home made pastry Recipe

Apple strudel is a traditional Viennese dessert, made of very thin elastic pastry, and the filling contains sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins (soaked in dark rum), lemon zest, lemon juice and bread crumbs. This popular pastry can also be found in the rest of Austria, Bavaria, Czech Republic, Northern Italy, and in many other countries in Europe that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It is believed that strudel originated from baklava, a very famous Turkish pastry based dessert, that came to Austria with the Ottoman's Empire and through Hungarian cuisine.

Records show that Strudel was first named in 1696 and gained popularity after it was served to Empress Maria Theresia who was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the only women to hold the position.

In Slovenia and in coastal Istria, areas that also once belonged to Austro-Hungarian Empire, apple strudel became, and today still is, a very well known sweet treat. It has gained such a high level of popularity that it is almost considered a national dessert. During autumn and winter months, this typical and very much loved dessert would be baked on a regular basis up and down the country, with little variations, and no Sunday roast lunch could be completed without a slice of strudel, dusted, of course, with a generous amount of icing sugar. When this task was left for us children, there would be so much icing sugar on the top that you could hardly see what type of dessert was hiding underneath it. Some things just never change...this is what happens when I leave my 11 year old son with the icing sugar task!

Apple strudel in Slovenia is called Jabolčni štrudelj or Jabolčni zavitek while along the coast of Northwest Istria, where the informal Istrian dialect is also spoken, it can be referred to as Strucolo de pomi.

Strudel made with apples is by far the most popular but in the North Adriatic two variations of strudel have been created and are also very well liked, strudel filled with ricotta cheese filling and strudel with cherries.

In my family we all knew when it was weekend, as apple strudel, this warming autumnal pudding, would be in the oven, and the aromas of apples and cinnamon would travel around the house. This dessert is not just part of my childhood but part of my adulthood as well. It has been the most frequently baked dessert by my mum and even today my friends and family cannot get enough of it. Now that I live abroad it is even more special, and it really does take me right back home to my childhood, and my mum's kitchen.

Apple strudel is traditionally served warm, dusted with regular icing sugar or vanilla floured icing sugar, and when accompanied with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce, this rustic pudding soon turns into a complete and very elegant dessert.

This recipe for apple strudel is made with home made pastry, however you can still indulge yourself and cut corners a bit by using a store bought ready made puff pastry, in which case only half the amount of apple filling is enough

Apples can be sliced or coarsely grated and lightly toasted walnuts can replace pine kernels.

In this recipe I will indicate which apples are appropriate to use for apple strudel, however, I have never used specific type of apples and that is simply because I always bake apple strudel when apples are in season and abundant in nature. Apples would be generously given from neighbours and friends with fruit orchards or apple trees in their gardens, I just make sure I taste them and pick a mixture of sweet and tart apples.

Ingredients

Serves 10-12

Dough

  • 250g all purpose flour or bread flour

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

  • 3 Tbsp neutral tasting vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)

  • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

  • sea salt, a pinch

  • 50ml-60ml lukewarm water, or as needed

Apple Filling

  • 1kg apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced (sweet-tart apples like MacIntosh and Gala in combination) Bramley

  • 1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest and juice (grate lemon zest first and then squeeze the lemon juice, trying to do it the other way round might prove a tricky task)

  • 1 Tsp ground cinnamon

  • 30g pine nut kernels, slightly toasted (can use walnuts)

  • 50g raisins or sultanas

  • 3 Tbsp dark rum or lukewarm water (for soaking the raisins)

  • 60g dry fine breadcrumbs

  • 20g unsalted butter plus extra for brushing

  • 80g caster sugar

  • icing sugar for dusting

Method

To make the dough

Place the flour in a big mixing bowl and make a well.

In a separate, smaller bowl, mix slightly beaten egg, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, (the acidity will help to relax gluten in the flour making the dough more stretchy) a pinch of sea salt and lukewarm water. Pour the mixture into a flour well.

With the fork, stir the mixture with the flour until well combined. Add a little bit of flour at a time, until the dough comes nicely together, then work the dough with your hands.

Transfer the dough on a lightly floured working surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until nice and smooth.

After this time, the dough should be moist and elastic and not sticky. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky to knead.

In order to further encourage the development of the gluten, resulting in a very elastic dough, slam the dough onto the working surface a few times.

Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a clean bowl, previously brushed with oil.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.

To make the filling

In a small pan, place pine nuts and toast them on a medium-low heat for a few minutes until golden-light brown in colour. Remove from the heat, cool and set aside.

In another pan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted add breadcrumbs, toast them, stirring constantly until golden-brown in colour. Remove from the heat, cool and set aside.

In a small bowl, place raisins or sultanas, add dark rum (traditionally used) or lukewarm water. Leave them to soak and plump up for at least 15 minutes, or until you need them.

Peel, core, quarter and slice the apples. Place sliced apples in a bowl, pour lemon juice over them, toss and mix well. The lemon juice will prevent apples from oxygenating and turning brown.

Add lemon zest, roasted pine nuts, breadcrumbs mixture, soaked raisins or sultanas (squeeze out excess rum or water), sugar and cinnamon. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

Place the dough on a clean and lightly floured table cloth. Flour the rolling pin and start rolling out the dough. While rolling, to prevent sticking, flour the dough and the surface every now and then.

When the dough reaches about 20 cm in diameter pick it up and keep stretching it. The best way to do so is to use the back of your hands and in particular the knuckles but make sure you remove any sharp jewellery first.

Brush it with a bit of melted butter.

Bake on the middle shelf for 40 45 min.

Apple Strudel is ready when the crust turns nice and golden.

Take it out of the oven, let it cool. Dust it with icing sugar, cut into slices and serve it on its own or with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Just a thought

You can make the strudel dough ahead and keep it refrigerated for up to two days. Before using the dough take it out of the fridge allowing it to come to a room temperature.

Wine suggestion

Alto Adige Gewürztraminer DOC Vendemmia Tardiva "Roen" 2019 - Cantina Tramin (0.375l)