Easy Traditional Viennese Apple Strudel

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 01/4/22
Apple strudel

 Susanne Schanz/Getty Images 

Prep: 90 mins
Cook: 90 mins
Total: 3 hrs
Servings: 12 to 16 servings
Yield: 1 strudel

Classic apple strudel is surprisingly easy to make. This old-fashioned, traditional Viennese apple strudel (Altwiener apfelstrudel) recipe contains simple ingredients, like apples, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon and is encased in a thin sheet of unleavened dough.

This strudel is perfect all alone on a plate but tastes even better, with some vanilla sauce, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe uses a homemade dough instead of store-bought filo pastry dough. The noodle-like dough recipe is just as easy (or easier) to use and tastes way better than store-bought.

Even though the steps to perfect apple strudel are easy, one thing you will need for this recipe is time and patience.

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 13 tablespoons lukewarm water

  • 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil

  • 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil

Filling 1:

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs

Filling 2:

  • 5 to 6 large apples, such as Gala or Granny Smith, chopped, to make 6 to 8 cups

  • 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon zest

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing dough

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional

  • 1/4 cup rum, or orange juice, optional

Steps to Make It

Make the Dough

  1. Place the flour in a bowl with the salt and add the water, then 2 tablespoons oil. Stir with a spoon until it comes together and you can work it with your hands.

  2. Knead the dough until it is smooth and tacky, but not sticky, about 5 minutes. If you need to add more flour, add only 1 teaspoon at a time.

  3. Form the dough into a smooth ball, brush it with 1 teaspoon oil and place it back in the bowl for 1 hour at room temperature. Covering the dough with plastic wrap is fine, too.

Make Filling 1

  1. Heat 7 tablespoons butter in a pan until foaming and add the breadcrumbs.

  2. Toast them, stirring constantly, until they are medium brown. Let cool.

Make Filling 2

  1. Soak the raisins in the optional rum (or orange juice). You can heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave and then soak them until you are ready for them.

  2. Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, raisins, and cinnamon and mix well.

Assemble the Strudel

  1. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to about 13 x 9 inches. Lightly flour a clean towel with no nap, place it over the dough, grab both (towel and dough) and flip over. Straighten both, as necessary.

  2. Using your hands, gently stretch the dough thinner on all sides, working your way around the sheet of dough. Stretch it until it starts to look translucent in spots. Let it rest a minute and again stretch the areas you think are too thick. Thick edges can't be avoided and will be cut off. Brush dough with melted butter.

  3. Spread the breadcrumbs over 2/3 of the dough and pat down evenly. Drain the apples and spread them over the other 1/3 of the dough. Cut off any thick edges of dough with kitchen shears. Using the towel, fold one side of the dough over the filling. Brush exposed dough with melted butter.

  4. Fold in ends of dough like an envelope (or burrito). Fold the other side of dough up and over filling to form a roll. Brush with butter. Use the towel to maneuver strudel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll strudel onto parchment paper so that the seam-side is down. Brush with melted butter.

Bake and Serve

  1. Heat oven to 400 F. Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 40 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar while still warm.

  2. Transfer to a serving platter with a large spatula (or two). Cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices with a bread knife or serrated knife and serve with your choice of whipped cream, vanilla sauce, or vanilla ice cream.

Tips

  • Practice making strudel BEFORE you want to serve it, at least once before the big day. Err on the side of thicker dough. If you stretch it too thin (you know, Oma always says you should be able to read a newspaper through it) before you add the filling, when you roll it, you will stretch it more and it might tear. Tearing causes the liquid to evaporate when baked, instead of steaming inside the package. It won't ruin your strudel, but it will not be perfect.
  • If you are planning to serve the strudel the next day, leave it on parchment paper and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Place out of reach. Recrisp in the oven. Warming in a microwave does not produce the best results.

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
299 Calories
13g Fat
43g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 299
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 170mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 91mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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