From our family kitchen · Strudel

Apple Strudel

Our famous family apple and cinnamon strudel.

My husband’s favorite dessert and our famous family strudel recipe, which I’m now sharing. As you’ll see, there’s strength in simplicity, and it disappears from the baking trays incredibly fast.

What you’ll need

Dough (for 3 strudels):
500 g all-purpose flour
250 g vegetable shortening (I use Omega)
a pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
250 ml cold water
Filling (for all 3 strudels, amounts approximate):
about 1–1.5 kg apples
breadcrumbs for sprinkling
sugar to taste
cinnamon
raisins (optional, soaked in rum if you like)
To finish:
melted butter (or beaten egg) for brushing
powdered sugar for dusting

How to make them

I grate the fat into the flour, add the salt, egg, vinegar and cold water and quickly bring it together into a smooth dough. I don’t work the dough much — I work quickly.
I let the dough rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes (or even overnight).
I peel and core the apples and grate them coarsely. If they’re extra juicy, I squeeze them out — the kids absolutely love that little bit of apple juice, so don’t throw it away. :)
I divide the dough into 3 portions and roll each one out thinly.
I mentally divide the rolled-out sheet lengthwise into thirds. I sprinkle the whole sheet with breadcrumbs, but spread the apples only over the middle third and sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon, plus raisins if using. The outer thirds stay without filling — I use them to fold the strudel.
I don’t roll the strudel up: first I fold the shorter sides inwards, then I fold one long outer third over the filling, followed by the other.
I transfer the strudels straight onto the baking tray — no need to grease or flour it, and no parchment paper needed either. I brush them with melted butter or beaten egg.
I bake them in an oven preheated to 180 °C for about 40 minutes, until really golden and crispy. That’s the key to success.
Once cooled, I dust the strudels with powdered sugar.