The name of this pastry, a rolled dessert made from thinly rolled and stretched dough filled with apples, evokes associations with a “funnel,” “whirlwind,” or “eddy”—that’s how “strudel” translates from German. Just take a bite of the appetizing, powdered sugar-dusted thin crust that conceals the fruity delight inside, and you’ll truly be swept away into a culinary abyss of pleasure. The world’s most popular apple and cinnamon strudel smells so delicious that it’s often enjoyed hot, straight from the oven. And the reward for your patience usually comes in the form of a classic serving of apple strudel with ice cream or vanilla sauce.
Ingredients for the dough (serves 6): 2 cups of flour, 1 egg, 70 g of butter, 150 g of milk, 2 teaspoons of dry yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt.
Ingredients for the filling: 2 apples, 100 g of butter, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. To prepare the yeast dough, we start by making a sponge. In a bowl, mix the yeast with sugar and warm water, just enough to cover the mixture. Let it sit for 20 minutes in a warm place, then add the sponge to the flour along with warm milk, butter, egg, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough and let it rise in a warm place for an hour and a half—it should double in size.
Roll out the risen dough into a thin rectangular sheet (no thicker than 2 mm), brush it with melted butter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Lay thinly sliced apples on top of the breadcrumbs, sprinkling them with cinnamon and sugar.
Roll the dough with the filling into a log, brush it with egg, and place it in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30 minutes.
Once the apple strudel is ready, cut it into portions and dust with powdered sugar. Serve it with ice cream or a dessert cream sauce.
Life Hack
The flavor of apples in baked goods pairs wonderfully with vanilla sauce, which is made from a mixture of milk (500 ml), beaten egg yolks (2), sugar (60 g), butter (1 teaspoon), cornstarch (2 teaspoons), and vanilla seeds (half a pod). First, bring the milk to a boil, then add the remaining ingredients, finishing the cooking process with the addition of butter. To achieve a smooth consistency, strain the vanilla sauce through a sieve into a clean container.