No Fuss Apple Strudel
This one almost looks right
My gold standard for great apple strudel hails from Bavaria. On a cold March afternoon in 2019, my husband and I tucked into a bustling cafe near the town of Neusdat with the family of a local German friend. When a plate of piping hot apple strudel nestled in a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream was served, I was in heaven. The wonderful aroma and melt-in-your-mouth taste stayed with me as I search for the perfect apple strudel recipe. I am not there yet, but here is the result of my second attempt. My first try using phyllo dough was a dud. That recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated and result looks decent, but I can’t taste the spoons full of butter at all and it was time-consuming to brush melted butter layer upon layer. This recipe from a Spanish-speaking youtube channel is quite simple and turns out to be delicious. I tweaked it further to make it even less fussy.
Ingredients:
1 Pastry dough piece, thawed after about 30 minutes at room temperature (Pepperidge Farm package contains two pieces)
2 apples, cored and slice thin, divide into 3/4 and 1/4 portions
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
Lemon zest
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 tsp flour or corn starch
Handful of raisins and dried cranberries (can be soaked in rum)
Handful of walnuts or pecans
3 tbsp jam
Mixture of 1 tbsp of yogurt with 1 egg as brush
1/2 tbsp butter
1 single packet of turbinado sugar (1 tbsp)
Instructions:
Take out pastry dough from freezer and thaw at room temperature for about 45 minutes to 1 hour)
Heat oven to 375F
Mix 3/4 apple slices from with lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, sugar, flour and raisins + cranberries + walnut/pecan pieces (leave a few aside for decoration)
When the dough is very pliable (soft and able to be bent easily), roll out dough on parchment paper placed in baking pan which will be your work surface
Brush dough with egg/yogurt wash
Spread most of the jam in middle of dough where apples slices will be placed
Layer apple mixture in center of dough in a long row, making sure raisins and nut pieces are tucked in and on top
Fold one side of dough over the top of apple mixture, brush outside of this flap with a little jam and yurt/yolk brush
Fold second side of dough over the first side, using fork to seal all open sides
Brush outside dough entirely with yogurt/yolk mixture
Slice 3-5 slits on top of dough
Line top of dough with sliced apple mixture, brush again with egg/yogurt wash
Sprinkle raisins, cranberries, and nut pieces in the crevices on top, and dot with small butter pieces
Sprinkle with a tbsp of sand sugar
Bake on jelly roll pan with parchment paper for 35-40 minutes until until crust is golden
Tips: Don’t be attempted to roll the dough any thinner to make it larger. I speak from failed attempts. Pastry dough is meant to puff when baked. When rolled thinner, there is not much puffing. It is important to take your time and wait till the dough is completely pliable. This makes it easier to pile on the apples and seal the dough. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream. It would be a crime otherwise!
The most delectable serving of apple strudel in Neustadt bei Coburg, 2019 with my friend Annette and family