Apfelstrudel (Viennese Apple Strudel)

About This Recipe

Apfelstrudel is one of the great achievements of Central European pastry making. The dough is made with flour, oil and water and then stretched by hand over a flour-dusted cloth until it is thin enough to read a newspaper through — a technique that takes years to master but produces a pastry of extraordinary flakiness and lightness. The filling of thinly sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins and fried breadcrumbs (which absorb the apple juices during baking) is the standard against which all other apple pastries are measured. In Vienna, properly made strudel is served at all the great Kaffeehäuser (coffeehouses) — warm, dusted with icing sugar, accompanied by a jug of pouring cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 250 gplain flour(plus extra for dusting)
• 125 mllukewarm water
• 3 tbspneutral oil(plus extra for brushing)
• 1 pinchsalt
• 1 kgtart apples(peeled, cored, thinly sliced)
• 100 gcaster sugar
• 2 tspcinnamon
• 80 graisins
• 80 gbreadcrumbs(fried in butter until golden)
• 60 gbutter(melted, for brushing)
• icing sugar(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Mix flour, water, oil and salt to a smooth, elastic dough. Knead vigorously 10 minutes. Oil the surface, wrap and rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

   Resting the dough is essential — the gluten must relax for the dough to stretch without tearing.

2. 2

   Prepare filling

   Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Fry breadcrumbs in butter until golden — these absorb excess apple juice.

3. 3

   Stretch dough

   Cover a large table with a clean tablecloth and flour generously. Roll dough out as thin as possible, then use the backs of your hands to stretch it from the centre outwards until paper-thin.

4. 4

   Fill and roll

   Brush dough with melted butter. Scatter fried breadcrumbs over two-thirds of the surface. Top with apple mixture. Using the cloth, roll up the strudel tightly, sealing the ends under the roll.

5. 5

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 190°C. Transfer strudel to a lined baking tray seam-side down. Brush with remaining butter. Bake 40–45 minutes until deep golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.

Variations

• •

  Fill with Topfen (quark/ricotta) and cherries for a classic Topfenstrudel.

• •

  Use puff pastry as a shortcut — the result is richer and less delicate but still delicious.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Keeps at room temperature 1 day. Refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat in a 160°C oven for 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions