Apple Strudel
The story of the apple strudel reaches back to the Ottoman Empire, whose conquests and trade connections left a lasting mark on European cuisine. The strudel dough traces its roots to baklava, a sweet pastry made of thin layers of dough and nuts. In the 16th century, similar recipes made their way to Austria during the Ottoman sieges of Vienna. Viennese bakers embraced and refined these influences, giving rise to what we now know as strudel.
By the 18th century, the Viennese apple strudel had taken its classic form — paper-thin stretched dough filled with apples, cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. From Vienna, this beloved dessert spread throughout the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where each region adapted it to local ingredients and tastes. In Slovenia, it became known simply as štrudelj — a word still used today for any kind of rolled dessert.
Recipe
Ingredients:
Dough
80 ml lukewarm water
15 g canola oil
½ tsp white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp fine salt
145 g all-purpose flour
canola oil for brushing the dough
flour for dusting
Buttered Breadcrumbs
40 g unsalted butter
80 g bread crumbs
5 tbsp granulated sugar
Apple Filling
4 tablespoons raisins (50 g)
3 tablespoons rum for soaking the raisins
950 g sweet-tart apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp melted butter for brushing the dough
Instructions:
Dough
In a large bowl, mix together the lukewarm water, oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
Stir in about half of the flour with a spoon until everything comes together. Then add the remaining flour and knead the dough on your work surface until it is smooth and elastic. The dough should feel moist but not sticky — if it sticks to your hands, sprinkle in just a little more flour. I like to slam the dough onto the counter a few times, as it helps develop the gluten.
Shape the dough into a ball, brush a clean bowl with a bit of oil, place the dough inside, and lightly brush the top with oil as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least one hour.
Buttered Breadcrumbs
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast until golden brown, stirring often. Remove from the heat, mix in the granulated sugar, and let cool completely.
Apple Filling
Soak the raisins in rum for about 10 minutes to soften.
Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Slice each quarter into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick, and toss them with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Making Apple Strudel
Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F.
Lay a clean cotton tablecloth on your work surface and dust it lightly with flour.
Turn the dough out onto the floured cloth. Roll it out as thinly as possible, then slide your hands underneath and gently stretch it outward. You can also lift it slightly and stretch by hand — just be careful not to tear it.
The dough should be thin enough that you can almost see through it; according to popular lore, you should be able to read a newspaper placed underneath.
Brush the surface lightly with about half of the melted butter.
Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs evenly over the lower half of the dough, leaving about 1.5 inches from the edge. Spread the apple filling evenly on top, then sprinkle with the soaked raisins (discard any remaining rum).
Fold in the side edges of the dough. Using the tablecloth, roll the strudel up from the apple-topped side all the way to the end.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully transfer the strudel onto it, seam-side down.
Brush the top with the remaining melted butter and bake for 30–45 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Slice, dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm.