Today’s Regional Italian dish comes from the northern region of Trentino – Alto Adige that borders with Austria.  This region (and some areas around it) was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it shares many culinary traditions with Austria and the surrounding areas.  It seems that Strudel was born in the area now known as Turkey where it developed into Baklava, while in Austria it became what we have all come to love.  I must immediately say that the recipe I will publish today is one from Trentino-Alto Adige.  I am sure there are plenty of versions around the world (and in each family), so I want to make this clear.  Strudel is often made with puff pastry (I make it that way too sometimes and at the end of the post you will see that too), but it is traditionally made with a specific dough (neither sweet nor savoury), which is rolled very thin.  The end result is a much lighter Strudel where the dough is slightly crunchy and it almost disappears in comparison to the filling.  I must admit that I like this version much more than the puff pastry one, but it is a bit more time consuming and, above all, you do need a little practice to roll the dough as thin as it needs to be without tearing it!  But the effort surely pays off!  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from La Ricetta Perfetta

Ingredients (this makes quite a long strudel – about 45 cm, I usually make a half dose):

For the dough
250 gms – 2 cups flour, sifted + 30 gms – 1/4 cup to work with during the rolling process
150 ml – 5 oz. lukewarm water
20 gms – 0.7 oz. vegetable oil (I used sunflower) + 1 tsp to grease the dough
1 pinch salt

For the filling (sorry, I forgot to take the picture!)
1 ½ kg – 3.3 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp rum
60 gms – 2 oz. sultanas or raisins
1 tbsp pine nuts
120 gms – 4 oz. sugar
100 gms – 3.5 oz. breadcrumbs
60 gms – 2 oz. butter
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
6 tbsp apricot jam
Icing sugar

Put the sifted flour, salt, vegetable oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment.  Add the lukewarm water, little by little and then knead it until obtaining a smooth and elastic dough.  I usually knead it with the electric mixer for about 10 minutes, this ensures that the dough becomes more elastic and easier to work with.

Now, make the dough into a ball, grease with a tsp of vegetable oil and put it on top of a clean tea towel.  Take a bowl big enough to cover the dough with and fill it with boiling water.  After a couple of minutes, pour the water out, dry it well and use it to cover the greased ball of dough.  This will keep the ball warm and it will help in the rolling process.  Be careful not to get burnt when doing this as the bowl will get quite warm!  Let the dough rest like this for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, start preparing the filling.

Put the sultanas/raisins in a little bit of hot water to soften them.  Melt the butter over low heat, add the breadcrumbs and roast them for a few minutes, until all the butter has been absorbed and the breadcrumbs have turned a golden brown.

Put the sliced apples in a bowl.  Add half the sugar, the 2 tbsp of rum and the juice of the lemon.  Mix well and set aside.

Now it is time to roll the dough!

Put some flour on the teatowel and start pulling it with your hands.  Make sure you shape it into a rectangle (the length has to be twice the width – 1).  Now put some flour on your fists and place them between the dough and the tea towel (2).  Slowly pull the dough from the center to the borders and do this until all the dough is as thin as paper (3).  Make sure to do this slowly or your dough will tear!  Tradition says that if you put a newspaper below the rolled dough, you should be able to read it through it… it has to be almost transparent!

Now you can put your filling.  Start with the roasted breadcrumbs (4), then the apples (discard the liquid!), the remaining sugar, apricot jam, cinnamon, grated lemon zest, pine nuts and the drained sultanas/raisins (5).

Cut out the borders (which will always be thicker) and fold the edges on top of the filling, so that it does not come out.  Then, gently lift the edge of the tea towel and roll the strudel with it without touching it with your hands.  You have to roll it around the longer side, so it will be longer and thinner (and not the other way around!).  Lift it using the edges of the tea towel and gently push it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.  If it is too long, gently shape it into a semi circle.  Brush it with some melted butter (6).

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the apples inside.  The crust has to be golden brown.

When ready, dust it with a generous amount of icing sugar.  It is best eaten lukewarm and can be served with some vanilla ice cream on the side (though this is not the traditional way!).

NOTE: The above recipe, is made with “strudel dough”, which is probably what characterises the traditional strudel.  When I am pressed with time though, I use puff pastry.  The result is a non traditional strudel, with a thicker and flakier crust, which is still pretty delicious!  And much easier to work with.  Here is how it looks:

Print

Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel - light dough filled with apples, raisins and pine nuts and baked.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Austrian, Hungarian, Italian

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 1 x 45 cm - 18 inch long Strudel

Author Recipe adapted from La Ricetta Perfetta

Ingredients

For the dough

• 250 gms – 2 cups flour sifted + 30 gms – 1/4 cup to work with during the rolling process
• 150 ml – 5 oz. lukewarm water
• 20 gms – 0.7 oz. vegetable oil I used sunflower + 1 tsp to grease the dough
• 1 pinch salt

For the filling

• 1 ½ kg – 3.3 lbs. apples peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tbsp rum
• 60 gms – 2 oz. sultanas or raisins
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 120 gms – 4 oz. sugar
• 100 gms – 3.5 oz. breadcrumbs
• 60 gms – 2 oz. butter
• Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp apricot jam
• Icing sugar

Instructions

1. Put the sifted flour, salt, vegetable oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the lukewarm water, little by little and then knead it until obtaining a smooth and elastic dough. I usually knead it with the electric mixer for about 10 minutes, this ensures that the dough becomes more elastic and easier to work with.
2. Now, make the dough into a ball, grease with a tsp of vegetable oil and put it on top of a clean tea towel. Take a bowl big enough to cover the dough with and fill it with boiling water. After a couple of minutes, pour the water out, dry it well and use it to cover the greased ball of dough. This will keep the ball warm and it will help in the rolling process. Be careful not to get burnt when doing this as the bowl will get quite warm! Let the dough rest like this for 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, start preparing the filling.
4. Put the sultanas/raisins in a little bit of hot water to soften them. Melt the butter over low heat, add the breadcrumbs and roast them for a few minutes, until all the butter has been absorbed and the breadcrumbs have turned a golden brown.
5. Put the sliced apples in a bowl. Add half the sugar, the 2 tbsp of rum and the juice of the lemon. Mix well and set aside.
6. Now it is time to roll the dough!
7. Put some flour on the teatowel and start pulling it with your hands. Make sure you shape it into a rectangle (the length has to be twice the width – 1). Now put some flour on your fists and place them between the dough and the tea towel (2). Slowly pull the dough from the center to the borders and do this until all the dough is as thin as paper (3). Make sure to do this slowly or your dough will tear! Tradition says that if you put a newspaper below the rolled dough, you should be able to read it through it… it has to be almost transparent!
8. Now you can put your filling. Start with the roasted breadcrumbs (4), then the apples (discard the liquid!), the remaining sugar, apricot jam, cinnamon, grated lemon zest, pine nuts and the drained sultanas/raisins (5).
9. Cut out the borders (which will always be thicker) and fold the edges on top of the filling, so that it does not come out. Then, gently lift the edge of the tea towel and roll the strudel with it without touching it with your hands. You have to roll it around the longer side, so it will be longer and thinner (and not the other way around!). Lift it using the edges of the tea towel and gently push it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. If it is too long, gently shape it into a semi circle. Brush it with some melted butter (6).
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the apples inside. The crust has to be golden brown.
11. When ready, dust it with a generous amount of icing sugar. It is best eaten lukewarm and can be served with some vanilla ice cream on the side (though this is not the traditional way!).

Recipe Notes

The above recipe, is made with “strudel dough”, which is probably what characterises the traditional strudel. When I am pressed with time though, I use puff pastry. The result is a non traditional strudel, with a thicker and flakier crust, which is still pretty delicious! And much easier to work with.

Enjoy!

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