Austrian Apfelstrudel

About This Recipe

Apfelstrudel is Vienna's most famous pastry export and the standard against which all other apple pastries are judged. A hand-stretched pastry of extraordinary thinness is filled with a mixture of tart apples, breadcrumbs, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon, then rolled and baked until golden. Served warm with vanilla sauce (Vanillesauce) or whipped cream at every Viennese café.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 cupsbread flour
• 1/2 cupwarm water
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1 tspwhite vinegar
• 1 kgtart apples (Granny Smith), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cupsugar
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 1/2 cupraisins
• 1/2 cupwalnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cupfine breadcrumbs, toasted in butter
• 100 gbutter, melted

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine flour, oil, vinegar, salt, and warm water. Mix then knead for 10 minutes until completely smooth and silky. Shape into a ball, brush with oil, cover with a warm bowl, and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Toss apple slices with sugar and cinnamon. Mix with raisins and walnuts.

3. 3

   Stretch the dough

   Cover a large table with a floured cloth. Roll the dough, then stretch with the backs of your hands until paper-thin and covers the table.

4. 4

   Fill

   Brush stretched dough with melted butter. Scatter toasted breadcrumbs over 2/3 of the surface. Spread apple filling over the breadcrumbs. Fold the empty edges in.

5. 5

   Roll and bake

   Using the cloth, roll the strudel tightly. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet seam-side down. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35–40 minutes until golden. Dust with powdered sugar.

Variations

• •

  Use cherries instead of apples for Kirschenstrudel

• •

  Fill with savory spinach and cheese

• •

  Add a layer of marzipan under the apple filling

• •

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

Storage

Best eaten warm. Reheat briefly in a 180°C oven. Keeps 2 days at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions