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Baked Apple Strudel covered with powdered sugar on a white serving plate.

Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel / Strudel di Mele)

Fill your home with the scent of Christmas by baking Apple Strudel (Strudel di Mele), with golden pastry, warm apples, and raisins that make every slice taste like the holidays.

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 g – 2 cups flour – sifted + 30 g – ¼ cup to work with during the rolling process
  • 150 ml – 5 oz lukewarm water
  • 20 g – 0.7 oz vegetable oil I used sunflower oil + 1 tsp to grease the dough
  • 1 pinch salt

For the Filling

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

Instructions

For the Dough

  1. Put the sifted flour, salt, and vegetable oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the lukewarm water gradually while kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. I usually knead it for about 10 minutes with the mixer to make it more elastic and easier to handle.

  2. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly grease it with a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Place it on a clean tea towel. Fill a large bowl with boiling water, then pour the water out after a couple of minutes and dry it well. Use the warm bowl to cover the dough so it stays soft and easy to roll later.

    Note: The bowl will be hot after filling it with boiling water. Handle it carefully to avoid burns.

  3. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

For the Filling

  1. Soak the sultanas or raisins in a small bowl of hot water to soften them.
  2. Melt the butter over low heat, then add the breadcrumbs. Toast for a few minutes until the butter is absorbed and the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.
  3. Place the sliced apples in a bowl. Add half the sugar, 2 tablespoons of rum, and the juice of one lemon. Mix well to coat the apples evenly, then set aside.

To Assemble and Bake

  1. Place a clean tea towel on your work surface and dust it lightly with flour. Put the dough on top and start stretching it with your hands, shaping it into a rectangle about twice as long as it is wide. Flour your fists and gently slip them under the dough. Working from the centre outward, slowly pull and stretch until it becomes very thin. Take your time so it doesn’t tear.

    Note: Tradition says that if you place a newspaper under the dough, you should be able to read through it. That’s how thin it should be.

  2. Spread the roasted breadcrumbs evenly over the dough. Add the apple mixture (without the liquid), then sprinkle over the remaining sugar, apricot jam, cinnamon, grated lemon zest, pine nuts, and the drained raisins.
  3. Trim the thicker edges of the dough and fold them over the filling to keep it enclosed. Gently lift one side of the tea towel and roll the strudel with it instead of using your hands. Roll it along the longer side so it becomes long and thin. Transfer the strudel carefully to a baking tray lined with baking paper. If it’s too long, curve it into a semicircle. Brush the top with melted butter.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filling, until the crust is golden brown.
  5. Once baked, dust generously with icing sugar. Serve lukewarm. You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, though that’s not the traditional way.

Recipe Notes

Traditional strudel dough gives this dessert its signature thin and tender crust. If you’re short on time, puff pastry works too. It’s not traditional, but it creates a flakier crust that’s still delicious and much easier to handle.