From our family kitchen · Strudel
Apple Strudel
Our famous family apple and cinnamon strudel.
My husband’s favourite 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 plain 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
- icing 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 or slice them thinly.
- I divide the dough into 3 portions and roll each one out thinly.
- I sprinkle the rolled-out sheet with breadcrumbs, spread the apples over it and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, plus raisins if using.
- I don’t roll the strudel up: I fold the shorter sides inwards, then fold the two longer sides over each other in thirds.
- I transfer the strudels straight onto the baking tray — no need to grease or flour it, and no baking 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 icing sugar.