Classic apple strudel
Surely everyone has heard of the dessert "Viennese strudel" at least once in their life. It originated, as the name suggests, in Vienna. However, the prototype of the Viennese strudel was actually invented by the Arabs: the famous baklava, made of dough, nuts, and sugar, is a distant relative of the strudel. When the Turks entered Hungary, they brought the recipe with them.
Now the whole world loves a variation of that same Arabic baklava—Viennese apple strudel. You don't have to travel to Vienna to try it; you can make it yourself at home.
Classic apple strudel
Today, there are countless variations of apple strudel. There are both simplified and improved recipes. However, most argue that only the classic recipe for this dessert is worth trying.
Ingredients
- 260 G flour
- 100 ml water
- 25 ml vegetable oil (better than olive)
- 1 pcs. eggs
- 140 G white loaf
- 3 tbsp butter
- 55 G almond flour (or breading mixture)
- 1 kg fresh apples (strong varieties)
- 1 pcs. lemon
- 70 G raisins
- 110 G Sahara
- 80 ml Roma
- By to taste powdered sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Raisins should be scalded with boiling water beforehand, covered with rum and left to soak overnight.
- Puff pastry should be made with special flour. Choose flour with a high gluten content. If you buy flour at the store, pay attention to the nutritional value (NZHU) on the packaging. It should contain 11 g of protein per 100 g of product. This figure indicates that dough made with this flour will be elastic and stretchy.
- Sift the salt and flour into a deep bowl. Make a well in the middle and crack an egg into it. Add warm water mixed with olive oil. Knead the dough, rolling it into a smooth ball.
- Clear the countertop of any unnecessary items. Lightly dust it with flour (some use starch). Begin kneading the dough. Take a ball of dough in your hand, lift it above the counter, and slam it down with all your strength. Knead the dough and repeat. The traditional recipe calls for these movements to be repeated 100 times, as this ensures the dough is as elastic as possible. After you've kneaded and kneaded everything, place the ball in a warm place for 40 minutes. This amount is enough for 2 strudels.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Melt the butter until liquid. Cut a loaf of white bread into cubes and place them in the oven until they become breadcrumbs. Then, grind the breadcrumbs in a blender until they form crumbs. Pour 3 tablespoons of melted butter into a frying pan and fry the crumbs. Mix the resulting mixture with almond flour. Your breading is ready.
- Peel the apples and slice them thinly. Add brown sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the apples. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands.
- Lay a towel on the table and lightly dust it with flour. Begin rolling out the dough on it. The dough should be practically translucent.
- If you can't achieve the desired thickness with a rolling pin, take the sheet in your hands and stretch it until you can see the letters of the newspaper through it.
- Grease the dough with melted butter, step back from the edge 1/3 of the length and begin to lay out the filling in a row along the long side of the layer.
- Spread half of the breadcrumbs over the apple filling. Top with raisins.
- Using the cloth you used to line the dough, roll the strudel into a roll. Close from the narrow edge and continually brush the dough with butter.
- Using the same cloth, transfer the strudel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it seam-side down. Brush the top with butter. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (preheat the oven, of course) until golden brown.
- Sprinkle the finished dish with powdered sugar.
