I made this once and my mom said "Why bother, when it's so much easier to buy phyllo pastry?"
But then it's not really a strudel. Authentic strudel has a slapped-and-stretched dough, like this one. If you can make it yourself, you don't have to wait until you can return to your favorite sidewalk cafe in Austria or Germany to enjoy a piece like the one I had on a sunny spring day after visiting the art gallery in Vienna a few years ago. I don't think I'll be going back any time soon, not during a global Pandemic.
Homemade strudel dough is stretched over the kitchen table--if you have one that's the right size. I'm thinking of the old white wooden kitchen table my mom passed along to me when I had my first apartment and that I took to my first house, where I made strudel for the first time. I think my sister has that table now, I saw it in use at my niece's garden bridal shower. I wonder if she knows she has a perfect table for strudel making! Maybe when we've both had a second dose of vaccine she'll make strudel and invite me?
Remember to stretch the dough until it makes a rectangle that would hang over the edges of a 30 inch x 48 inch table, if you don't have one.
1. Generously butter 2 baking sheets.
2. In a large bowl, combine:
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and mix well:
- 1 large beaten egg
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (plus more for brushing dough)
4. Stirring constantly to keep the mixture a smooth paste, gradually add:
- 1 cup lukewarm water (80 to 85 degrees F)
5. Continue to mix until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured pastry board.
7. Hold dough high above the board and HIT IT HARD against the board. Continue.
8. After 15-20 hits the dough should no longer stick.
9. After 100-125 hits the dough is smooth and elastic and leaves the board easily.
10. Knead the dough slightly and pat into a round.
11. Lightly brush the top of the dough with vegetable oil.
12. Cover dough with an inverted bowl and allow to rest 30 minutes.
13. Prepare filling (see traditional apple filling below).
14. Melt and set aside to cool:
- 1 cup butter
15. Cover a 3 x 4 ft. table with a clean cloth, allowing cloth to hang down.
Sprinkle with flour, most in centre of the cloth.
16. Place dough on centre of cloth and roll into a 12 inch square.
If needed, sprinkle more flour under dough so it doesn't stick, but keep dough square.
Use a soft brush to brush off any flour on top.
17. Brush square of dough with vegetable oil (prevents holes from forming during stretching).
18. Stretching the Dough
- With palms of hands down, reach under the dough to its centre.
- Dough will be resting on the backs of your hands.
- Lift the dough slightly, being careful not to tear dough.
- Gently and steadily pull your arms in opposite directions to stretch the dough
- Lower the dough to the table as you walk slowly around it, pulling one side and another, but not too much in one place. Keep the dough close to the table.
- Dough shouldn't have torn spots but if some appear, don't patch them.
- Keep pulling and stretching dough, draping it over the edge of the table.
- Continue until the dough is as thin as tissue paper and hangs over the edge of the table on all sides.
20. Allow stretchd dough to dry only 10 minutes (it becomes brittle if it dries too long).
21. Drizzle dough with 1/4 cup of cooled melted butter.
22. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the dough (see filling recipe). Cover dough with filling.
23. Drizzle the filling with 1/2 cup of cooled melted butter.
24. Fold overhanging dough on three sides over the filling.
Beginning at narrow folded end of dough, grasp the cloth with both hands, hold it taut, slowly lift cloth and roll dough over filling.Pull cloth toward you. Again lift cloth and, holding taut, loosely roll dough.
25. Cut Strudel into halves. Lifting each half on cloth, roll onto baking sheets.
26. Brush excess flour from the roll and cut off ends. Brush tops and sides with melted butter.
28. Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Basting every 8 minutes with melted butter, bake 35-40 minutes. Strudel is done when it makes a crackly sound when you touch it (dough shouldn't be smooth).
29. Remove to cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before sifting icing sugar or vanilla icing sugar over top of strudel.
30. Move strudel to a cutting board while still warm, cut into 2 inch slices. Serve warm with sweetend whipped cream.
Apple Strudel Filling
- 1-1/2 lbs cooking apples (about 4 medium size)
- 2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (4 oz)
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs (about 2 slices)
- 2 Tbsp dark seedless raisins (Thompson)
- 3 Tbsp currants
Wash, core, pare apples.
Cut apple slices 1/8 inch thick.
Combine in a bowl with 2 Tbsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp brown sugar.
Toss slices to coat evenly, set aside for at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Mix together 2 Tbsp white sugar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice.
Set aside.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet.
Toss 3/4 cups fine bread crumbs in the butter until thoroughly coated and browned.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over half the stretched and slightly dry dough as in above dough recipe.
Drain the apples.
Cover the crumbs on the stretched strudel dough evenly with the apple slices.
Sprinkle lemon zest over the apples.
Toss nuts, raisins and currants evenly over apples.
Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the nuts and fruits.
Drizzle with melted butter.
Fold strudel as in dough recipe above.
Sweetened Whipped Cream
- 1 cup chilled whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sifted icing sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Place the beaters and mixer bowl in the refrigerator to chill.
Using the chilled bowl and beater, beat cold cream until it stands in peaks when beater is slowly lifted upright.
Beat sugar and vanilla extract into the whipped cream with the final few strokes to blend.
Use immediately or refrigerate until use.
Makes about 2 cups.
Vanilla Confectioners Sugar
Sprinkle on apple strudel after baking. Also delicious on cookies, cakes, tortes, rolled pancakes or whenever icing sugar is used.
- icing (powdered) sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, 9" long
Wash and thoroughly dry a 1 to 2 quart container with a tight fitting lid.
Fill dry container with sugar.
Remove vanilla bean from air-tight tube, whipe with a clean, damp cloth, dry.
Cut vanilla bean into 4 sections lengthwise, then cut the quarters into thirds.
Poke pieces of vanilla bean down into the sugar at irregular intervals.
Cover container tightly and store, up to several months.
The longer the container stands, the richer the vanilla flavour will be.
Add more sugar to the jar as needed.
When vanilla aroma is gone, replace the vanilla bean.
