German · Dessert · Hard
Apfelstrudel
Paper-thin pastry wrapped around cinnamon-spiced apples, studded with raisins and breadcrumbs. Served warm, it shatters and sighs all at once.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Apfelstrudel, in 5 ideas
- The pastry must be stretched until you can read a newspaper through it; thinness is what makes strudel strudel.
- Breadcrumbs are not a filler: they soak up the apple juices so the bottom stays crisp instead of soggy.
- Toss the apples in lemon juice the moment they are sliced to keep them pale and fresh-tasting.
- Rest the dough before stretching. A relaxed gluten stretches far without tearing.
- Brush with melted butter between every fold and again on top for that flaky, golden finish.
What you need
Ingredients
- For the dough: 250g strong bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 100ml lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 0.5 tsp salt
- For the filling: 1kg tart apples (about 6), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 75g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 75g raisins
- 75g fresh breadcrumbs, toasted golden in butter
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 50g butter, melted, for brushing, plus icing sugar for dusting
How to make it
Directions
- Mix the dough ingredients into a smooth, elastic dough and knead for 10 minutes. Oil the surface, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
- Toss the apple slices with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Set aside.
- Lay a large clean tablecloth on the table and flour it. Roll the dough out, then gently stretch it with the backs of your hands until paper thin, trimming any thick edges.
- Brush the whole sheet with melted butter and scatter over the toasted breadcrumbs, leaving a 5cm border.
- Spread the apple filling in a row along one long edge. Fold the border over the filling, then roll the strudel up using the cloth to help.
- Transfer seam-side down to a buttered baking tray, curling it into a horseshoe if needed. Brush generously with butter.
- Bake at 190C (170C fan) for 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
Tart cooking apples are far cheaper than eating apples and actually taste better here; they hold their shape and give the bright sharpness the sweet pastry needs.