Viennese Apple Strudel

Viennese apple strudel, would you like a piece? Yes, we are going to make this beauty from scratch, strudel dough is actually not as hard as you may think. Just be sure you have enough time at hand when you make the dough because it needs a pretty long resting period. That was actually what I tried to ignore this time and that’s why my first dough had a lot of holes and couldn’t be strechted properly. So feel free to start the dough the day beforehand. Resting it more than a few hours, e.g. overnight is no problem at all, you just give the gluten more time to develop. And then you will be rewarded with a delicious dessert with lots of apple flavor!

Viennese apple strudel is slightly different from classic apple strudel, the main difference is that Viennese includes bread crumbs that are roasted in some butter. The bread crumbs help to soak up some of the apple liquid, but they are a carrier of flavor themselves. Compared to the Munich strudel that contains sour cream, you will only have apples, bread crumbs, and strudel dough. As you can see from my pictures, I decided to go with the plain version not including raisins. Obviously, you are free to add some. Viennese apple strudel is something like the grandpa of strudels in the German-speaking world. If you are wondering what kind of strudel to make, I would suggest this one.

Viennese Apple Strudel

Serves: One strudel
Prep Time: 1hr Cooking Time: 40min Total Time: 1hr 40min

This Viennese apple strudel is made with homemade dough and filled with lots of apples and bread crumbs.

Ingredients

  • Strudel Dough
  • 200 grams of all-purpose flour
  • 110 grams of lukewarm water
  • 9 grams of neutral oil (you will need a bit more later on)
  • 3.5 grams of salt

  • Filling
  • 50 grams of butter
  • 100 grams of breadcrumbs
  • 1kg of tart apples (I used Elstar)
  • About 80 grams of regular sugar (you may want to increase the amount, depending on how tart your apples are)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • Optional: raisins to your liking (about 150 grams)
  • 130 grams of butter for brushing
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

1

In this reel you can see how I make it. For the strudel dough weigh all ingredients in a kneading bowl and beat for 20 minutes on low with a standing mixer. The dough will be soft and elastic. Work into a ball without any additional flour. Look for a container with a lid and pour about 1 tablespoon of oil inside. Make sure that the dough is dipped in oil from all sides. Then cover the container and let sit at room temperature for at least two hours or overnight. You can chill in the fridge, but be sure to have it come back to room temperature beforehand.

2

Meanwhile for the filling melt the butter in a large frying pan. If your bread crumbs are not small, first process, then add them to the butter. Stir occasionally while browning them. They should look golden after a few minutes. Set aside. Then peel and chore the apples and cut into cubes. Mix prepared apples with sugar, cinnamon and raisins, if using. Once the bread crumbs have cooled off, add to the apple mix.

3

Line a large dining table with a cloth covering it completely. I had a cotton tablecloth, you can also use bed linen if needed. Flour the entire surface lightly, make sure that in the center you flour a rectangle a bit more. Take out the strudel dough and place in the center of the cloth. Now roll out gently with a rolling pin. You may need to flour the bottom of the dough a bit more (only bottom). Once the dough starts moving back, stop. Cover the surface of the dough with oil, you can either brush it on or apply it with your finger. Let the dough rest prepared like this for 15-20min. Melt 130 grams of butter meanwhile. Once ready, flour your hands and arms, take off any rings or a watch. Then start stretching out the dough. You shouldn't rush this part, but also not be too slow. You will get faster over time. Be sure to always have your hands facing dough and try to start from the middle of the dough, working outwards. If there are any holes, just keep stretching, you will either leave the holes or wait until it is fully stretched to do anything about them. Every time you make strudel, you will realize that your dough will stretch more and you will get the hang of it. Just as with everything practice makes perfect. Your strudel may not look perfect, but it will get better, trust me. And the taste will be just the same.

4

Once you have fully stretched the dough over as much of your tablecloth as you could, brush with 2/3 of the melted butter so it does not dry. Meanwhile preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prepared apples on the dough, leaving an edge of at least 2 cm all around, I also like to only fill about 3/4 of the rectangle. Fold the edges on top of the filling and start rolling up using the tea towel below. Place the strudel on the prepared baking sheet (I do this still in the tea towel and slide it on) and brush with some melted butter. Bake for about 35-40min or until golden. Either serve still warm or cold dusted with some icing sugar. Traditionally it is served with vanilla sauce.

P.S.: Maybe I can interest you in this plum strudel:

Pflaumenstrudel mit Zimtstreuseln

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