Makes 6 servings
Strudels are known for their paper-thin, flaky crust, which takes some patience, but is worth the effort. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be strudel-ing all of your favorite fillings. You can even use this dough with savory fillings, like seared mushrooms and goat cheese.
Ingredients
Strudel Dough
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2/3 cup water, as needed
Filling
- 2 1/2 cups cored, chopped apple
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup seedless raisins
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
- To make the strudel dough, knead the flour, oil, and water together until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- To make the filling, mix the apple, sugar, cinnamon, pine nuts, raisins, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Heat half of the butter in a small skillet and toast the bread crumbs in the butter. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet.
- Lightly flour a large work surface and start rolling and stretching the dough with a rolling pin, trying to maintain a square shape. When the dough is about 1/16-inch thick, put both hands underneath the dough and use the back of your hands to stretch the dough until it becomes as thin as a sheet of paper. Let the dough rest for a few minutes between stretches so that it won’t spring back.
- Cut the dough into a perfect rectangle about 20 × 18 inches. Brush the dough lightly with the remaining melted butter, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and place the apple mixture along one side of the dough.
- Using the towel, roll the dough around the apple, then roll it onto the baking sheet. Brush with more butter on top and bake until the dough is crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve while warm.
