Paper-thin stretched dough, filled with cinnamon-rich apple wedges, raisins and ground walnuts, rolled up tightly into a spiral and baked golden brown. Less sweet and creamy than American or Dutch apple pies, and with a pastry that crackles rather than crumbles.
Apfelstrudel
Region: Bavaria
Apfelstrudel
Region: Bavaria
Method
01
Knead the dough
Mix the flour, egg, water, oil and salt to a supple, elastic dough. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball, brush with oil and leave to rest for 30 minutes under a bowl.
02
Toast the breadcrumbs
Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry pan with the melted butter until light gold and fragrant. Leave to cool.
03
Stretch the dough
Cover a large work surface with a clean cloth and dust with flour. Roll the dough out as thinly as possible, then carefully stretch it further with the palms of your hands (from underneath, not with the fingertips) until paper-thin and almost transparent, as large as the work surface allows.
04
Fill
Sprinkle two-thirds of the dough with the toasted breadcrumbs (which absorb the apple juice). Mix the apples with the drained raisins, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and spread over the part sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
05
Roll up
Using the cloth, lift the unfilled edge and roll the strudel up tightly, using the cloth to help you roll. Fold the ends closed.
06
Bake
Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Lay the strudel seam side down on a baking tray, brush with melted butter and bake for 35–40 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp.
07
Serve
Leave to cool for 10 minutes, dust with icing sugar and cut into pieces. Serve warm, with vanilla sauce or whipped cream if you like.
Tips & notes
The dough must become so thin that you can read a newspaper through it; pull carefully from the centre outwards with the backs of your hands. The toasted breadcrumbs aren't an afterthought: they absorb the moisture of the apples and prevent a soggy, wet base. Best on the day itself; keep the strudel covered for a maximum of 2 days and warm it briefly in the oven (180 °C, 10 minutes) to crisp the pastry again.
Variations
- Use ready-made filo pastry if you don't have time to stretch the dough yourself; less authentic but much quicker.
- Replace the walnuts with almonds for a subtly different flavour.
Contains:
Gluten
Eggs
Milk
Tree nuts
Sulphites
| Calories | 461 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 75 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fibre | 7 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
