Apfelstrudel | Apple Strudel

I prefer cooking apples to concentrate and adjust their flavor, if needed, with brown sugar or honey and balance the sweetness with some lemon juice. Cooking also allows removing extra water from the stuffing, which helps keep the flaky dough dry and crispy a little longer. I tried 1) simply mixing completely dry bread crumbs with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon, 2) frying stale bread crumbs in melted butter until golden before mixing them with sugar and cinnamon, and 3) using hazelnut meal instead of bread crumbs. While all three options taste excellent, option 2 keeps the moisture away from the crust the best. A floured tablecloth is perfect for thinly stretched dough — the dough neither sticks to it nor slides away. It also helps roll the strudel using gravity by lifting one of its sides without touching the dough with bare hands. A large (15×23″) multipurpose silicone mats work just fine. Since it’s much easier and faster to clean them, I two silicone mats instead of tablecloths.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a bowl, sift measured bread flour. Dissolve salt in lukewarm water, add lemon juice and 1 tbsp (reserve the second tbsp of butter for brushing stretched dough later) melted clarified butter, and combine with bread flour. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to develop gluten well. Shape it into a ball and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerated for 3 days.

Step 2

Wash, peel, core, and dice the apples. In a bowl, combine diced apples with sugar and lemon juice.

Step 3

Melt clarified butter in a large skillet on high heat and cook apples, stirring. It is essential to cook apples on HIGH HEAT and ONE LAYER at a time to concentrate their flavor.

Step 4

In a pan, melt 40g of clarified butter on medium heat and toast breadcrumbs, constantly stirring, until golden. In a bowl, combine them with sugar and cinnamon.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 375F. The goal is to stretch the dough into a thin, almost see-through rectangular 15" wide and 36" long. Do it in 3 steps, letting the dough rest for about 3-5 minutes after each stretch.

Step 6

Start by dusting your working surface with some flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough 1/8" thin, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest.

Step 7

Pick the dough up, turn upside down, lightly dust it with some flour if needed, and roll it 1/16" thin into a large and long rectangular. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step 8

Slowly peel the dough off the working surface, carefully pick it up with the back of your hands, and transfer it to the silicone mat (or tablecloth). Continue stretching the dough on the silicone mat to reach the final size (15"x36").

Step 9

Spread the bread crumbs mix on a latter size area. Place the apples over the bread crumbs, and drizzle 1 tbsp of melted butter on the rest of the stretched dough.

Step 10

Using your hands, do the first fold of the dough with bread crumbs. Continue rolling by lifting the shorter edge of the silicon mat to the end.

Step 11

Gently roll the strudel onto a smaller silicon mat and transfer it into a baking pan. Make sure the final position of the strudel is seam-side down. Brush it with melted butter. Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Step 12

Let baked strudel cool down to room temperature before slicing it.

Step 13

Dust strudel with powdered sugar and slice to portions. Strudel is served warm with vanilla ice cream, Crème Anglaise, whipped cream, or any combination.

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