Some time ago I came across a recipe from Dutch Weight Watchers: the apple strudel. It turns out very light and also vegan, how could I resist trying it? The pastry is easy to make and it can be rolled out so thin that it resembles phyllo dough. I finally found a super simple pastry dough that can be useful for many light recipes.
Then, I love apples which lend themselves well to many desserts, but they are indispensable for strudel. In the pictures, I used wild apples from my grandpa’s tree, they are so good, perfect for this very genuine light apple strudel.
The original recipe considered the strudel to be 6 servings at 4 WW points each. Honestly, I made a very large strudel that I think is enough for 8 satisfying servings at only 3 points each: great, right? Let’s get on with the recipe!
Find some other apple recipes here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Fall, Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon flour (used for rolling the pastry)
- 1.76 oz light vegetable margarine 40% fat (divided into 25+25 grams)
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.65 lbs apples
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional: points per serving do not change)
- Points per serving = 3 WW points
Tools
You need a large linen or cotton cloth that has been washed without using fabric softener or any type of fragrance. Here are the other important tools:
- Spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Towel
Preparation
Melt 25 g of margarine in the microwave or in a double boiler and let it cool. Put flour and salt in a bowl and pour in the lukewarm water and melted margarine. Mix with a spatula to blend the ingredients well.
Place the dough on the work surface and knead it by hand for about 10 minutes until it forms a shiny and smooth ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about half an hour.
Wash, peel, and core the apples. Cut them into small pieces, placing them in a bowl. Add brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon, mix well, and set aside.
Spread a clean towel on a large surface and evenly sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour. Remove the dough ball from the plastic wrap and place it in the center of the towel. Using a rolling pin that is always slightly floured, roll out the dough until it is very thin (it is really simple and the dough is very durable and pliable). You should obtain a rectangle about 14 x 20.5 inches.
Turn the towel on the work surface to put it vertically. Spread the apple filling on the dough, leaving a border of about 1.2 inches on all four sides. Fold the two long sides of the dough over the filling and then the short side in front.
With the help of the towel, roll the strudel starting from the already folded short side. Try to roll tightly but be careful not to tear the dough: apples tend to cut it easily!
Place the strudel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, melt the remaining 25 g of margarine and brush half of it immediately and the rest after, halfway through baking.
Preheat the oven to 428°F if static or 392°F if convection, and when it reaches temperature, bake. The total baking time is 35-40 minutes, but halfway through, remove the tray and brush with the remaining margarine.
At the end of baking, when the strudel is golden, take it out and let it cool. If you like, you can sprinkle the strudel with powdered sugar.
You can enjoy the light apple strudel warm (it’s hard to wait for it to cool down due to the intense and tempting aroma that will be throughout the house) or cold, perhaps accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some eggless light custard. This is a recipe that is more complicated to explain than to make: try it and let me know!
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
How long does it keep?
Up to 3 days for sure because I’ve tried, I don’t know more than that! I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it can be.
Is margarine bad for you?
I know many people are afraid of margarine. I choose the one without hydrogenated fats, palm oil, and 100% vegetable and use very little of it, especially for making cookies and pastries, as it provides a crispness you can’t achieve using only oil. But if you prefer to avoid it, you can make this pastry with only oil, starting with 1-2 tablespoons instead of margarine and then proceeding as per the recipe. Be sure to recalculate the Weight Watchers points considering the oil used.
