An Apfelstrudel From Heaven!
Incredibly Delicious! A Recipe Gift sent from Heaven! Just one bite - and You will think You have died and gone to Heaven!
Photography Burkhard Muecke
The pastry given should be enough to make a 6-foot strudel. The dough must be very smooth and thoroughly kneaded, or the texture will be heavy instead of light and flaky. You will need a large surface like your dining room table. Serve Apfelstrudel as a hot or cold dessert with cream, ice cream, or both. I prefer it served warm.
Notes:
You will need a long thin wooden dowel - the thin ones made for bird perches - this will be your rolling pin.
Pastry
6oz (1 1/2cups) flour
3oz (3/8cup) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1 Tbs castor sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Filling:
3 lbs granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
4 oz (1/2 cup) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 oz (1/2 cup) mixed cake fruit mix
3 oz (1/2 cup) walnuts, chopped
1 Lemon zested
4 oz (1/2 cup) melted butter
Optional: 2 oz (3/4cup) white breadcrumbs
Method:
Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Mix together the egg, water, and butter in a small bowl.
With a wooden spoon, stir the egg and water mixture into the flour, mixing well, and knead until a firm dough is formed.
Place dough on floured board and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, which will take about 10 minutes.
Place your dough in a warm, large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth setting it aside in a draft-free warm area for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling:
- Mix the apples, sugar, cinnamon, fruit cake mix, walnuts, and lemon zest in a medium-sized bowl. Spread a large clean cloth, a bed-sheet is ideal, and dust it with sieved flour.
- Place dough on the cloth, and with a floured rolling dowel, roll the dough out as thinly as possible. With the back of your hands, lift and gently stretch the dough as carefully as possible until it is paper thin. You should be able to read a newspaper through it. Take your time - do not worry if a few small holes appear - just be careful not to make more.
- Trim the outer edges of the dough with scissors to straighten the sides.
- Preheat oven to 450 F (Gas mark 8) or 230 C.
- Grease 2 baking sheets with 1 Tbs melted butter.
- Brush the dough with ½ of the melted butter and sprinkle it with almost all the bread crumbs. (2 oz equivalent to 2/3cup) white breadcrumbs.
- Spoon the apple mixture in a long strip onto the dough, 3 inches away from the edges of the pastry facing you - and within 2 inches of each end.
- Using the cloth, lift the dough over the filling, and roll it up like a Swiss roll.
- Tuck in the ends.
- Brush the top of the dough with the remaining melted butter and cover it with the rest of the breadcrumbs.
- With a sharp knife, divide the strudel into pieces long enough to fit the baking sheets - or preferably gently bend it into a horseshoe shape.
- Place the strudel on the baking sheets with the seams underneath.
- Bake the strudels in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to fairly hot 400 F (gas mark 6) 200 C. And continue baking for a further 20 minutes or till the Apfelstrudel is crisp and golden brown.
Tips:
⦁ Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon
⦁ Keep dry from moisture
⦁ Store in a dry clean cupboard
⦁ Do not cover, as the filling will become soggy
⦁ Do not freeze or refrigerate!