Apfelstrudel is the apple strudel, which is a sweet made with a filled pastry roll and baked.
For its preparation, you can use “strudel dough” (ausgezogener), puff pastry, quarkteig (Austrian curd dough – österr. Topfenteig), yeast dough (Austrian yeast dough) or kartoffelteig (potato dough – österr. Erdäpfelteig).
An Apfelstrudel made with strudel dough is called “ausgezogener apfelstrudel” (stretched apple strudel), especially if the dough is stretched manually.
This variant is a traditional sweet and a national dish in Austria and a popular dessert in Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and other European countries that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918).
The strudel dough is made from wheat flour type 405 (in the case of blood sausage strudel from potato flour), water, and fat.
The dough consists of many thin layers known as “Blätterteig“, kneaded by whipping, often against the tabletop.
It is left to rest, then rolled out on a large surface, and stretched until the dough reaches a thickness similar to phyllo, ideally becoming so thin it is translucent when uncooked, yet does not tear.
The filling consists of sour-sweet apples (strudler or winesap), raisins, and breadcrumbs toasted in butter, flavored with cinnamon powder and granulated sugar.
Variants include the addition of sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, alcohol-soaked raisins, grated lemon zest, apples marinated in lemon juice, sour cream, or a cream of milk and eggs.
Strudel is linked to the pastry of the Ottoman Empire (e.g., baklava) that arrived in Austria through Turkish cuisine via Hungarian cuisine.
Accompaniments like vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, custard, or vanilla sauce are popular in many countries but not typical of Austria, where it is generally accompanied by tea, coffee, or even champagne.
Other famous Austrian desserts:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Austrian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn, All seasons
Ingredients
- 7 oz flour 405
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed oil (or butter)
- 3.3 lbs apples
- as needed butter
- 3.5 oz breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp raisins
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 3.5 oz sugar
- as needed powdered sugar
- as needed cinnamon powder
- 1.8 oz walnuts (optional)
Steps
Mix the flour with water and oil (or butter), and add a pinch of salt.
Knead the dough and then roll it out thinly.
Place it over a dish towel.
For the filling:
Toast the breadcrumbs in butter, add cinnamon and optionally walnuts.
Cut the apples (without peel or core) into small pieces, add sugar, raisins, and lemon juice.
Place the filling on 3/4 of the dough, first the breadcrumbs, then the apples.
Fold the sides and with the help of the dish towel, roll into a spiral.
Traditionally, the strudel is baked rolled on itself in a baking tray, but currently, baking can also be done unrolled.
Note: The origin of the word strudel is etymologically seen as wallen and strudeln – originally strudels were sweets twisted into a snail shape (shape of strudel).
Brush with melted butter and bake in an oven at 350°F for 50 minutes.
Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the difference between strudel and schlankerl?
Schlankerl, are sometimes colloquially called flaky strudel, which is not correct.
Unlike strudel, schlankerl are not rolled.
They are therefore simple cakes covered with shortcrust pastry. The pastry is rolled into a rectangle and, after covering, the filling is folded on all sides.What are the variants of strudel?
There are countless strudel variants, with sour-spicy or sweet fillings, including apple strudel, milk cream strudel (of Silesia and Slovenian Štruklji with boiled dough), poppy seeds, walnuts, ricotta, meat, cabbage strudel, spinach strudel, or blood sausage strudel (for which potato dough typical of sour and spicy fillings is used).
In Swabian cuisine, there is sausage strudel.Did you know that… ?
Due to its sinuous shape, the @ sign in email addresses in Hebrew is colloquially called the German word Strudel (שטרודל in Hebrew).
The official name also refers to the pastry, it is “keruchith” (כרוכית), the Hebrew word for pastry, strudel.What is the translation of apfelstrudel in other languages?
The Austrian apfelstrudel variant is called apple strudel in Italian, strudel jabłkowy in Polish, strudel de mere in Romanian, jabolčni zavitek in Slovenian, štrudla od jabuka or savijača s jabukama in Croatian, štrukli in Czech, almásrétes in Hungarian, and apfelstrudel also in Germany.
German and Austrian immigrants in the 19th century brought the dish to southern Brazil, where it can be found in most bakeries.
It usually retains its original German name but – less often – is translated to “Strudel de Maçã” or “Folheado de Maçã“.What are other national dishes of Austria?
Along with the apfelstrudel: the Wienerschnitzel and Tafelspitz (boiled beef).
