Grasp the nuances of pulling, layering, and rolling this hand-stretched dough that envelops a warmly spiced apple filling on this basic Viennese pastry.
Strudel could have made its title in Vienna, Austria, however its story stretches far past the Austrian capital. Its roots twist by the Levant, the Ottoman Empire, and the Balkans—fold by fold, layer by delicate layer. The German phrase “strudel” means “whirlpool,” a nod to the baked good’s attribute coiling and rolling. But its heritage aligns extra intently with börek and baklava and with the centuries-old craft of stretching dough till it’s practically translucent—a observe so refined, it’s nearly religious.
Apple strudel (Apfelstrudel) is a distinction of textures—crackly and buttery outdoors, comfortable and spiced inside. The filling of tart apples, golden raisins plumped in darkish rum, crunchy walnuts, and a touch of cinnamon is delicious totally by itself. But it surely’s sweetened bread crumbs—humble and sometimes forgotten—that do the heavy lifting, absorbing fruit juices to maintain the pastry crisp and layered. Served heat with a pool of Crème Anglaise, this strudel belongs to that uncommon class of desserts that really feel each nostalgic and deeply elegant.
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INGREDIENT BREAKDOWN
The components in conventional apple strudel could seem humble, however each serves a task in construction, flexibility, moisture management, or taste.
BREAD FLOUR: The robust protein content material in bread flour is essential to this strudel dough. In contrast to all- function, bread flour creates a extra elastic gluten community—precisely what’s wanted for a dough that may stretch wafer-thin with out tearing. The kneading course of builds gluten steadily, and the lengthy relaxation interval relaxes the community, making it pliable. This duality—construction and adaptability—is what permits the dough to be pulled by hand right into a sheer sheet you’ll be able to learn by.
KOSHER SALT: Salt on this dough does greater than season. It strengthens the gluten community barely and helps regulate hydration, giving the dough higher stretch with out turning into slack. Within the filling, salt balances sweetness and brings out the brightness of the apples and rum-soaked raisins.
WATER: Water is the dough’s solely hydration, so its precision issues. Not solely does it activate gluten formation however it additionally permits the dough to return collectively easily throughout kneading. An excessive amount of water would make the dough slack and sticky; too little would make it dry and inclined to ripping throughout stretching.
VEGETABLE OIL: Oil is the dough’s fats. In contrast to butter, it’s impartial and fluid at room temperature— this retains the dough comfortable and pliable with out interfering with gluten growth. It contributes suppleness slightly than flake, permitting the dough to stretch evenly. It additionally helps protect moisture and extends the dough’s workability throughout shaping.
DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR: The vinegar’s acidity helps loosen up the gluten community barely, growing extensibility and lowering the danger of tears throughout pulling.
UNSALTED BUTTER: Butter seems in two locations: the bread crumb layer and the ultimate brushing earlier than baking. Within the bread crumb layer, it toasts and binds the crumbs and sugar, forming a moisture barrier that forestalls sogginess. On prime of the dough, melted butter provides the crust its golden, satiny end and enhances crispness throughout baking.
DRY BREAD CRUMBS: Bread crumbs could seem to be filler, however they serve a tactical function. They act as a sponge, absorbing juices from the apple filling and preserving the fragile crispness of the dough. With out them, the pastry dangers turning soggy from inside. Toasting them in butter and sugar provides one other layer of taste—caramelized, nutty, and barely candy.
GRANULATED SUGAR: Sugar exhibits up within the bread crumbs, the filling, and the Crème Anglaise. Within the filling, it sweetens the apples and attracts moisture from them. Within the bread crumbs, it caramelizes throughout baking for added taste. Within the custard, it balances richness and subtly boosts the vanilla.
RAISINS: Soaked in darkish rum, the raisins add chewy sweetness and a wealthy, plump texture to the filling. The soak not solely enhances taste but additionally softens the raisins, stopping them from leaching moisture throughout baking. Their sweetness performs towards the tart apples, including distinction and dimension.
DARK RUM: Rum deepens the filling’s taste profile, lending heat and complexity. Its alcohol softens the raisins, however most of it evaporates throughout baking, forsaking a lingering notice of caramel and spice.
APPLES: Tart, agency apples like Granny Smith maintain their form throughout baking, resisting mushiness. Their acidity balances the sweetened parts of the filling. Slicing them thinly and evenly ensures uniform texture and prevents air pockets.
LEMON JUICE: The acid in lemon juice prevents the apples from oxidizing and turning brown. It additionally heightens brightness, serving to the fruit shine by the sweetness and spice.
WALNUTS: Toasted and chopped, the walnuts add a mandatory crunch to the in any other case comfortable filling. Their earthy bitterness offers stability, chopping by the sweetness of the fruit and raisins. Toasting
them beforehand brings out their pure oils and intensifies their taste.
GROUND CINNAMON: Cinnamon enhances apples and raisins with out overwhelming them, providing heat and fragrant depth. A little bit goes a great distance—simply sufficient to spherical out the filling.
EGG YOLKS: Egg yolks are the bottom of the Crème Anglaise. Wealthy in emulsifiers and proteins, they offer the custard its silky, spoon-coating texture. When tempered correctly, they thicken the sauce with out curdling. Their richness pairs fantastically with the crisp strudel, providing cool distinction.
WHOLE MILK AND HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM: This basic dairy pairing creates stability— milk lightens the feel whereas cream offers richness and mouthfeel. Collectively, they type a custard that’s luxurious however not heavy, preferrred for draping over heat pastry.
VANILLA BEAN PASTE: Vanilla provides the Crème Anglaise its signature fragrance. Paste is most well-liked over extract right here—it carries each taste and the telltale specks of actual vanilla, including visible and fragrant class.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Making strudel is much less about fancy tools and extra about working with intention—however just a few well-chosen instruments make all of the distinction.
GLASS MIXING BOWLS: Supreme for mixing dough and letting it relaxation—you’ll need one giant sufficient to comfortably knead in. (Pictured: Glass Mixing Bowl 10-Piece Set.)
ROLLING PIN: Whereas many of the stretching is completed by hand, a rolling pin provides you a head begin when shaping the dough into its preliminary rectangle. (Pictured: Patisserie Rolling Pin.)
PASTRY CUTTER: A pastry cutter is helpful for trimming thick edges or night out the rectangle earlier than filling. (Just like pictured: Williams Sonoma Tender Contact Twin Rotary Pastry Cutter.)
SMALL SAUCEPAN: A small saucepan is ideal for melting butter for the sweetened bread crumbs. (Pictured: Williams Sonoma Signature Thermo-CladTM Stainless-Metal Saucepan.)
CHEF’S KNIFE: TA sharp knife is useful for peeling and slicing apples into skinny, even items. (Pictured: Wüsthof Traditional Chef’s Knife.)
PASTRY BRUSH: Important for brushing melted butter onto the dough layers, a soft- bristled brush offers a delicate contact. (Pictured: Williams Sonoma Olivewood Pastry Brush.)
LINEN OR LIGHTWEIGHT COTTON CLOTH: Drape this over your work floor for stretching the dough. The feel helps grip the dough and absorbs extra moisture. (Just like pictured: Flour Sack Towels, Set of 4.)
RULER: A ruler is useful for gauging dimensions as you roll and stretch, particularly for even distribution of filling and ultimate shaping.
SILICONE SPATULA: A silicone spatula is nice for gently folding the apple combination and scraping each final little bit of filling into place. (Pictured: Get It Proper Final Spatula in Studio.)
Apple Strudel
Substances
Dough:
- 1 cup (127 grams) bread flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (75 grams) water
- 1½ tablespoons (21 grams) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) distilled white vinegar
Bread crumbs:
- 1½ tablespoons (21 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (60 grams) dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
Filling:
- ⅓ cup (53 grams) raisins
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) darkish rum
- 4 cups (436 grams) 1/4-inch-sliced peeled apples (about 3 medium apples; see Notice)
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) recent lemon juice
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 grams) chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) floor cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and divided
- Crème Anglaise (recipe follows)
Directions
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For dough: In a medium bowl, stir collectively flour and salt. Add 5 tablespoons (75 grams) water, oil, and vinegar; stir till a shaggy dough varieties. Prove onto a frivolously floured floor, and knead till dough turns into comfortable, elastic, and solely barely cheesy. (This may take as much as 10 to 12 minutes.)
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Flippantly oil one other medium bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease prime. Cowl and let relaxation at room temperature for two hours, or refrigerate as much as in a single day.
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For bread crumbs: In a small skillet, soften butter over medium warmth. Add bread crumbs and sugar; cook dinner, stirring regularly, till bread crumbs are golden brown and aromatic. Let cool utterly earlier than utilizing.
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For filling: In a small bowl, mix raisins and rum. Cowl and let stand for at the very least half-hour or as much as 2 hours.
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In a big bowl, toss collectively apples and lemon juice. Stir in soaked raisins and rum, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt till mixed.
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Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Line a desk or counter with a big clear kitchen towel or tablecloth, and frivolously mud fabric with flour. On ready fabric, roll dough into a few 6-inch sq.. Utilizing the again of your fingers, gently carry and stretch dough. Place on fabric; gently tug and stretch right into a 22×18-inch rectangle, with one quick aspect closest to you. (Dough must be skinny sufficient to see the sample of your fabric by it.) Utilizing a pastry wheel, trim off thicker edges of dough, about ½ inch from all sides.
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Sprinkle about half of melted butter onto dough; gently brush butter to unfold out. Sprinkle bread crumbs right into a 3-inch-wide rectangle that’s 4 inches up from backside of dough and a pair of inches inward from either side of dough. Pile apple combination onto breadcrumbs, leaving any liquid in bowl. Pack apples tightly collectively.
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Fold backside border of dough over apple filling, gently stretching to cowl. Utilizing fabric that will help you, flip and roll up dough and filling right into a log. Pinch and tuck ends of dough underneath log to seal. Place, seam aspect down, on ready pan. (Use the fabric as a sling to assist switch strudel to pan.) Brush remaining melted butter onto dough. 10. Bake till golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan midway by baking. Let cool on pan on a wire rack for quarter-hour. Serve heat or at room temperature with Crème Anglaise. Retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 2 days.
Notes
Crème Anglaise
Substances
- ¾ cup (180 grams) heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup (180 grams) entire milk
- 6 tablespoons (72 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 1½ teaspoons (9 grams) vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 giant egg yolks (74 grams), room temperature
Directions
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In a medium saucepan, warmth cream, milk, 3 tablespoons (36 grams) sugar, vanilla bean paste, and salt over medium-low warmth, stirring regularly, simply till steaming. (Don’t boil.)
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively egg yolks and remaining 3 tablespoons (36 grams) sugar. Steadily add half of sizzling cream combination, whisking consistently. Whisk egg yolk combination into remaining sizzling cream combination in pan. Prepare dinner over medium warmth, whisking consistently, till combination is thick sufficient to coat the again of a spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180°F (82°C). 3. Pressure combination by a fine-mesh sieve right into a medium bowl, discarding solids. Cowl with plastic wrap, urgent wrap straight onto floor of combination to stop a pores and skin from forming. Refrigerate till chilly, at the very least 4 hours, earlier than serving. Refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
PREPARING THE APPLE FILLING
For the perfect texture, slice apples uniformly and mix simply earlier than assembling. Soaked raisins, toasted walnuts, and cinnamon spherical out the filling with out overwhelming the fruit’s pure tartness.
In a small bowl, mix raisins and rum. Cowl and let stand for at the very least half-hour or as much as 2 hours.
In a big bowl, toss collectively apples and lemon juice. Stir in soaked raisins and rum, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt till mixed.
STRETCHING & FILLING THE DOUGH
A comfortable fabric helps anchor the dough as you stretch it by hand. The purpose is transparency—you need to be capable of see the weave of your fabric beneath. Construct the filling near the underside edge for simpler rolling.
Line a desk or counter with a big clear kitchen towel or tablecloth, and frivolously mud fabric with flour. On ready fabric, roll dough into a few 6-inch sq.. Utilizing the backs of your fingers, gently carry and stretch dough. Place on fabric; gently tug and stretch right into a 22×18-inch rectangle, with one quick aspect closest to you. (Dough must be skinny sufficient to see the sample of your fabric by it.) Utilizing a pastry wheel, trim off thicker edges of dough, about ½ inch from all sides. Begin with linen. A easy tablecloth or tea towel offers grip, helps forestall tearing, and acts as a sling for rolling and transferring the dough. Flippantly flour the fabric, not the dough. Use the backs of your fingers—not your fingertips—to coax the dough skinny. Your palms apply uneven stress; the backs are gentler and extra managed.
Sprinkle about half of melted butter onto dough; gently brush butter to unfold out. Sprinkle bread crumbs right into a 3-inch-wide rectangle that’s 4 inches up from backside of dough and a pair of inches inward from either side of dough. Pile apple combination onto bread crumbs, leaving any liquid in bowl. Pack apples tightly collectively. Use a comfortable brush and a lightweight hand. You’re portray the floor, not soaking it. An excessive amount of butter can weaken the pastry. Don’t simply spoon within the filling—compress it frivolously so it varieties a tidy, even log. This helps it roll cleanly and bake evenly.
ROLLING & BAKING THE STRUDEL
The dough’s elasticity makes rolling surprisingly manageable. Use the fabric to information the log gently, and seal the perimeters for a tidy bake. A ultimate brush of butter delivers a flaky, golden end.
Fold backside border of dough over apple filling, gently stretching to cowl. Utilizing fabric that will help you, flip and roll up dough and filling right into a log. Pinch and tuck ends of dough underneath log to seal. Place, seam aspect down, on ready pan. (Use the fabric as a sling to assist switch strudel to ready pan.) Brush remaining melted butter onto dough. Tug the sting of the fabric to roll the dough into form. Keep away from fingers, which may poke holes or shift the filling inconsistently.
Bake till golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan midway by baking. Let cool on pan on a wire rack for quarter-hour. Serve heat or at room temperature with Crème Anglaise. Retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 2 days. Wait at the very least quarter-hour after baking earlier than slicing. This helps the layers set and rewards you with clear, outlined spirals.
The submit Baking Faculty In-Depth: Apple Strudel first appeared on Bake from Scratch.
