Apfelstrudel — the canonical Austrian apple strudel

i. Origin & history

Apfelstrudel is the most famous descendant of the Ottoman-influenced stretched-pastry tradition that reached Vienna via Hungary in the 17th century. By the 19th century it was the unrivalled dessert of Habsburg coffee-houses.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 10 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• Strudel dough as for topfenstrudel
• 1 kg Bramley or Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 100 g raisins
• 60 ml dark rum (to soak raisins)
• 100 g toasted breadcrumbs
• 60 g unsalted butter, melted
• Icing sugar to dust

iii. Method

1. Make strudel dough; rest 60 min.
2. Soak raisins in rum 30 min.
3. Mix sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon and drained raisins.
4. Stretch dough thin on a floured cloth. Brush with melted butter; scatter breadcrumbs across the lower third.
5. Heap apple mixture along the buttered-breadcrumb band. Fold in the ends; lift the cloth to roll the strudel away from you, seam-side down.
6. Transfer to a buttered tray. Brush with butter. Bake at 190 °C for 40 min, brushing with more butter halfway.
7. Rest 15 min; dust with icing sugar; serve warm.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Topfenstrudel is the curd-cheese sibling. Mohnstrudel uses poppy seeds. Apfelstrudel with quark cream includes a layer of sweetened cream. Phyllo apfelstrudel uses ready-made filo as a shortcut.

vii. More from Austrian & German

• Topfenstrudel — quark strudel
• Apple Pie — British apple pie
• Apple Turnover — French chausson
• Kaiserschmarrn — torn pancake
• Szarlotka — Polish apple cake
• Kardinalschnitten — Cardinal's slice