Homemade Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)

4.84 from 12 votes

Homemade Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)

A generous slice of warm, homemade apple strudel with vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce is how long ski or hiking days in the alps often end. As winter is approaching, it is the perfect time to make this authentic, homemade Apfelstrudel recipe that has been a favorite for years!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Resting Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Brunch, Coffee, Dessert, Kaffee, Snack

Cuisine: Austrian, German

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Servings: servings

Calories: 323kcal

Equipment

1 Large Rolling Pin I love this large size and it's heavy enough to help you flatten the dough to a paper-thin thickness.
1 Large Linen Towel I love this organic set of basic white linen towels.
1 Pastry Brush The soft silicone bristles avoid tearing of the delicate dough.
1 Electric Mixer This cordless one has been my favorite!
1 Shaker For dusting on powdered sugar. We use ours for dusting cakes, waffles, and more.

Ingredients

Strudel Dough

250 grams all purpose flour
2 grams salt
100 milliliters lukewarm water
1 egg medium size
20 milliliters oil I use avocado oil. 20 ml go into the dough, and you'll need more for soaking the dough in oil in a small bowl.
30 grams butter for brushing onto the rolled out dough before filling
30 grams sour cream for brushing onto the rolled out dough before filling

Raisins (soak the night before or a couple of hours before)

1 shot spiced rum I use the iconic STROH rum from Austria.
100 grams raisins

Strudel Filling

75 grams breadcrumbs
50 grams butter
100 grams sugar feel free to use a little less if using sweeter apples
10 grams ground cinnamon
10 milliliters lemon juice
1100 grams tart apples I like use tart apple varieties like Granny Smith, Braeburn or Johnathan apples. If using a sweeter apple, feel free to reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe.

Other

60 grams butter melted, for brushing on the baking sheet before baking and onto the dough after baking (½ the amount for each)
powdered sugar for dusting the apple strudel with after baking
whipped cream For serving. I make my own by whipping together whipping cream, a little powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
vanilla ice cream For serving. You could also make a vanilla sauce.

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Raisins

Put raisins in a bowl, add the shot of spiced rum if using and fill bowl with just enough water to cover the raisins. Cover and let sit at least for a couple of hours, but better to let them sit overnight. Then drain off any liquid.
1 shot spiced rum, 100 grams raisins

Dough

Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).
Combine all ingredients and knead by hand or using an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment until a smooth consistency is achieved and it easily peels away from your skin and work surface or the inside the mixing bowl.
250 grams all purpose flour, 2 grams salt, 100 milliliters lukewarm water, 1 egg, 20 milliliters oil
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl just big enough to fit it, then pour oil until half of the dough is covered, giving it a nice oil bath.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. This step helps tremendously with establishing the needed elasticity for the dough!
Remove dough from oil bath and dip in flour from all sides. Spread out a thin, cotton kitchen towel over your work surface and dust in flour.
Transfer dough to the middle of the kitchen towel and, using a rolling pin, roll out to a rectangular shape close to the size of the kitchen towel.
Carefully pull the dough using the back of your hands until it's almost see-through.
Brush with melted butter first, then brush on sour cream, cut edges to make them straight and even.
30 grams butter, 30 grams sour cream

Filling

Peel the apples, cut into quarters, remove the core, and cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Toss into a large bowl, then cover with the juice of one lemon.
1100 grams tart apples, 10 milliliters lemon juice
For the filling, let the butter melt in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and roast them until they're golden brown. Mix in the cinnamon.
75 grams breadcrumbs, 50 grams butter, 10 grams ground cinnamon
In the same large bowl the apples are in, add bread crumb butter mixture, cinnamon-sugar, drained rum raisins and combine.
100 grams sugar
Add the filling to the dough and spread out, leaving 2 inches on each side. With the help of the kitchen towel, first fold in the shorter edge on each side, then the longer edges.
Now roll the entire strudel into a long log, then transfer to a baking sheet brushed with melted butter (the kitchen towel is your best friend here!).
60 grams butter

Bake & Serve

Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush on melted butter.
After baking, let rest for 30 minutes before cutting into slices. When serving, dust with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream or a homemade vanilla sauce.
This recipe me straight back to the alps!
powdered sugar, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream

Video

Notes

Can I make apple strudel with puff pastry?
While this is not the traditional Vienna-way to make apple strudel, you see Apfelstrudel with puff pastry all over Germany. It's still super delicious and saves some time when making this recipe.

Can I make apple strudel with sweet apples?
If using sweeter apples to make your apple strudel, reduce the amount of sugar added into the filling. That being said, this strudel recipe is not nearly as sweet as American desserts, so you may want to just stick with the amount in this recipe.

Can I make apple strudel gluten free?
You can substitute gluten free all-purpose flour (I've had success using this one in the past) instead of the the breadcrumbs in the filling. Regarding the pastry, I would see if you can find a gluten-free puff pastry as I am unsure of gluten-free flour making it elastic enough to stretch out thinly. Have any experience with making gluten-free strudel? Please let me know in the comments below!

Nutrition