If you love to bake, making apple strudel at home can be fun. The layers of flaky dough and sweet apple filling make this classic pastry a delight for any time of the year. With proper instruction, even those novices in the baking arts can manage to turn out a nice apple strudel. This guide walks you through one of the easiest ways to make strudel from scratch!

Gathering Ingredients

Step 1: Gather all required ingredients. The dough: all-purpose flour, water, butter, and a bit of salt. The stuffing is made with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and bread crumbs. It helps take the stress out of it, because if you have everything set up before you even start, you can just enjoy the ride.

Preparing the Dough:

The dough itself is the most crucial part of the strudel. Put flour and a generous pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add water one tablespoon at a time while mixing until it turns into a soft, elastic ball. Knead this for about 10 minutes on a floured work surface. Make it smooth and a bit sticky. Cover it with Saran Wrap, and allow it to sit for a minimum of 1 hour. This allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to stretch the dough.

Making the Filling:

Make the filling while the dough is resting. Slice the apples thinly after peeling and coring them. Place the apples in another bowl, sprinkle with sugar, add some cinnamon and a few grams of raisins. Toss everything until the apple chunks are coated. Let the mixture sit to combine the flavours.

Stretching the Dough:

When the dough has rested, you are now ready to stretch. Spread out a dusted cloth on a large clean surface. Start rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, placing it at the center. After its about the size of a large rectangle shape, gently pull apart with your hands! The aim is to make it as thin as humanly possible — nearly invisible. Take care not to tear it.

Assembling the Strudel:

And that brings me to the most important step: the fun part — assembling the strudel. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Do not broil a light sprinkling of breadcrumbs over it. These will soak up any excess moisture in the apples. Place the apple mixture in a line along one edge of the dough. Using the cloth, gently roll the dough over the filling, log style. Fold the edges in to enclose the filling.

Baking the Strudel:

Set the oven at 375°F (190°C). Transfer the rolled strudel to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. For golden color, brush the top with melted butter. Cook for 30–40 min, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Your apple strudel will take very little time to prepare and your kitchen will smell of cinnamon and apples in no time and you will know your apple strudel is almost ready!

Serving Suggestions:

Let the strudel rest for a few minutes, then slice it. It is wonderful served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top of this dessert. The combination of warm, spiced apples and flaky pastry provides an indulgent taste that is incredibly hard to bypass. Apple strudel will certainly make an impression, whether served for dessert or enjoyed for a treat during tea hours.

Storing and Enjoying Later:

In fact, when you’re done with your apple strudel, and if there are any leftover, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. If you want to indulge from it later on, just reheat it in the oven to keep it without losing its crunch. Keeps the flaky pastry nice and flaky.

See also: Easy Brownie Recipe for Beginners with Simple Steps

Conclusion

Making apple strudel at home is a labour of love. Anyone can make this delicious pastry with just a few ingredients and a little patience. It’s a process and an art form, really. Once you have nailed this recipe, you can fall back on it often and bring it to every gathering and family occasion. Treat yourself to the feeling of a homemade dessert that anybody will enjoy. Keep in mind that practice makes perfect. Every try gets you closer to that perfect apple strudel.