I had several people ask me if they could see how I made the strudel in my recipe for "Altwiener Apfelstrudel" so I finally put together this step by step instruction set. If you let the dough rest properly between mixing and rolling it out it really will stretch for you like it does in the pictures. The tricks I learned to make it easier were:

• Keep the dough and your board and cloth well but lightly dusted with flour. You don't want to incorporate any more flour into the dough, but you don't want the dough sticking to everything and itself either (I've done it).
  
• Stretch the dough slowly and rest it in between stretches. Alternate between stretching from the middle and stretching the edges. Keep the middle thick until near the end.
  
• You can reuse the dough once if absolutely necessary. The quality will be somewhat affected. If you feel that you need practice, try making a double batch and practice first.
  

Also just wanted to report my findings on freezing Apple Strudel. I wrapped half of the strudel in wax paper and then put it in a plastic bag and froze it. Later, I took it out and cut off two inch pieces (one serving). I microwaved each piece 40-50 seconds on high. Result? Crust was still crisp and apples were slightly warm. Perfect for that afternoon pick-me-up! Tell me about your strudel successes or failures in the German food forum.

Photos © J.McGavin