Apple Strudel [ Strudel di Mele ]
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (8.8 oz or 250 g) flour - better if 00 flour
  • 1 egg
  • 3½ Tbsp (25 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 scant Tbsp (25 g) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • water
  • -
  • 5 apples
  • 2 Tbsp (30 g) pinenuts
  • 4 Tbsp (30 g) sugar
  • 1.4 oz (40 g) raisins
  • ½ cup (100 ml) of grappa (or rum)
  • ¾ cup (70 g) plain breadcrumbs, divided
  • [optional] 4 plain cookies/biscuits, crumbled (*see notes)
  • a sprinkle of cinnamon
  • the juice and grated zest of one organic lemon
  • 1 egg for egg wash
  • confectioners sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. On a clean surface, combine flour, egg, softened butter, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Knead dough, adding just enough water to obtain a smooth and soft texture. Form a ball and cover it in plastic film. Let rest for an hour.
  2. While dough is resting, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, toss the raisins with grappa (or rum) and a bit of water. Let rest for about 20 minutes.
  3. Finely grate the zest of your lemon and strain its juice into a big mixing bowl. Peel apples, remove their core, and cut them in quarters. Divide each quarter in small slices (see photo). As you cut them, add them to the bowl containing the lemon juice to prevent them from darkening.
  4. Lightly squeeze raisins from the liquid and add them to the fruit mixture. Add sugar, pine nuts, crumbled cookies, cinnamon, and ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Mix gently all ingredients.
  5. Preheat oven to 360°F.
  6. Place a big piece of parchment paper on your working surface. Place the dough ball on the paper. Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough into a very thin rectangle that should be slightly longer than your baking tray.
  7. Sprinkle the remainder (1/4 cup) of the breadcrumbs on top of the rolled dough. Arrange the apple mixture in a long mound along the side that's closer to you. Roll the strudel, helping yourself with the parchment paper: lift the paper from the smaller long side, and fold dough onto the mixture. You can either decide to keep rolling one side or fold the other side on top of the mixture, over the other rolled side....whichever is easier for you.
  8. Cut off excess dough from ends and fold them in to seal the strudel. Lifting the parchment paper, transfer strudel onto a baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes, until the crust reaches a golden color.
  9. Strudel is best served at room temperature with a bit of vanilla sauce.
Notes
"Plain cookies" are basic generic cookies usually made of butter, egg, flour, and sugar. In Italy we simply call them "biscotti" and we usually eat them for breakfast. You could also use other kinds of cookies as long as they don't feature fancy fillings or ingredients.
Recipe by Very EATalian at https://www.veryeatalian.com/old-fashioned-apple-strudel/