Overflown with apples or just seeking something intriguing? Check out this Apple strudel recipe that is a dessert worth pursuing!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Sugar free recipe
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Beginner - Puff pastry
2sheets Puff pastry dough
8medium Applecored and peeled
2teaspoonCinnamon
1pieceLemon's juice
Sweetener to tasteoptional
1mediumEggfor eggwash
Advanced - Filo - Phyllo pastry
10sheets Filo - Phyllo dough
8medium Applecored and peeled
2teaspoonCinnamon
1pieceLemon's juice
¼cupSour cream
Sweetener to tasteoptional
Overkill - Traditional homemade strudel
makes a lot
7cupsFlour
2¼cupsWatertepid
½teaspoonSalt
Filling options
Apple cinnamon
4medium Applecored and peeled
1teaspoonCinnamon
½pieceLemon's juice
Sweetener to tasteoptional
Zucchini poppy seed
4½cupsZucchinishredded
1cupPoppy seedfinely ground
1pieceLemon's zest
Sweetener to tasteoptional
Sour cherry poppy seed
3cupsSour cherry
1cupPoppy seedfinely ground
1pieceLemon's zest
Sweetener to tasteoptional
Cottage cheese
2cupsCottage cheesedry, squeeze if necessary or add flour
1teaspoonVanilla extract
2medium Egg
1cupSour cream
3tablespoonsHoney or sweetener of choice to taste
Instructions
Beginner - Puff pastry
Peel and cut the apples up into chunks.
Sprinkle it with cinnamon. If any additional sweetener is used, this is the time to add it.
Roll the puff pastry out and place it onto a parchment paper. It generally comes one wrapped around it so use that.
Arrange the apples across the dough like a log, covering the middle third of the puff pastry.
Cut the upper and lower part of the dough up into about frac14;" / 1cm wide stripes. Mind not to get too close to the middle where the heap of apples reside.
Fold the stripes up, alternating each side until the whole dough is closed up.
Brush it with egg-wash.
Place the beginner apple strudel onto the middle rack of a 350°F / 180°C preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 - 40 minutes.
Advanced - Filo pastry
Peel and grate the apples. To prevent browning, mix the grated apple with lemon juice as soon as possible. Optionally, use apples cut into chunks.
Squeeze out as much liquid as possible by hand then mix the apple with cinnamon.
Filo - phyllo dough needs some care and attention while working with it. Once opened, place a damp kitchen cloth over them to prevent from drying out. Take one filo sheet out then brush it very lightly with oil.
We can use 2 - 4 layers for each roll of strudel. More layers equals more crust and more crunchiness when fresh from the oven but given enough time both will soften up. Each layer has to be lightly brushed with oil.
Place lumps of apples, about the size of a tablespoon, onto about ¾ part of the dough. Each roll can hold about 7oz / 200g filling comfortably from any type of filling. Keep about 2" / 5cm distance between the lumps and mind that the rows next to each other are alternating and not covering one another.
Drizzle optional shaken up sour cream on top.
Roll the dough up starting from the side where the fillings are close to the edge.
If chunks of apple is used, the process is the same.
Place the rolled up apple strudel onto a parchment lined baking sheet then brush them with a bit of oil or sour cream.
Bake the filo dough apple strudels on the middle rack of a 350°F / 180°C preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Overkill - Traditional
Knead the dough until it comes together into a uniform texture.
Place the dough onto a floured surface.
Knead and divide into equal balls, we made 8 here. Cover and let them rest until the fillings are prepared.
Prepare the filling. Let's try something wild: summer squash with poppy seed, sour cherry with poppy seed and cottage cheese with raisins and honey.
Roll out one dough into a 4" / 10cm disc. Brush some sour cream on top.
Pick to dough up and stretch it by letting gravity do its thing.
Put it back onto the table and stretch it further by hand. This is the tricky part. Check out: How to stretch strudel dough
Place lumps of filling, about the size of a tablespoon, onto about ¾ part of the dough. Keep about 2" / 5cm distance between the lumps and mind that the rows next to each other are alternating and not covering one another. Drizzle optional shaken up sour cream on top.
Roll the dough up, starting from the side where the fillings are close to the edge using the table cloth. If the dough doesn't want to roll, a special technique called jumping the dough must be initiated, which is a slight yank of the cloth so a bit of extra momentum is given the dough for moving. Check out: How to roll Strudel up
Cut the strudel into the size of the baking tray.
Place the strudels into the parchment paper lined or lightly oiled baking tray. Brush them with more sour cream.
Place the strudels on the middle rack of a 350°F / 180°C preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.