Daring Bakers May '09: Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Strudel is one of those things that I never thought I'd make at home. You only get it from the store or at a restaurant. Let me put it this way. Strudel making is like one of those insanely tall decorated wedding cakes. People don't make those at home, right? Well, those cakes get made at home by bakers all the time (and look incredible) and I made strudel. Would I have made it without the nudge of the Daring Bakers? Probably not. No doubt I'd be too scared thinking it would be too difficult to get that super thin dough. But boy am I glad I did!

It was somewhat time consuming to make. Well..that's not exactly right. It took a lot of time but most of it was waiting. So I guess I should say its wait consuming...err..well...you get the idea. After the dough is mixed up and resting to be precise. The filling came together quickly (and tasted delicious!) and went into the fridge waiting for the dough to be ready.

The hardest part of the whole process was the stretching of the dough. I made half of a batch because I was nervous about that part. And of course its not as hard as I feared. I was able to use my rolling pin to get it stretch pretty far out. I held my breath when I picked up the dough to start the hand stretching. I went slow with it and to my surprise, I was able to get it to about 1'x 1.5' with out any major tears.

I cheated a tiny bit and didn't toast the bread crumbs. I used panko because that was all I had. I also substituted pecans for the walnuts because I like them better and they were the only nuts I had. Instead of the vegetable oil I had to use olive oil because I didn't realize I was out of the other until I was mixing up the dough. I didn't notice a difference in taste though. I couldn't tell there was olive oil there at all.

I am so so so glad I made this! The filling was delicious. I loved the tiny hint of rum you got. Not enough to overwhelm but just to give you a little taste. The outside was thin and buttery. Next time I might add a sprinkling of sugar to the top before baking to give the crust some sweetness. And I would also add more chopped pecans; I don't think I added quite enough. They kind of got lost in all the apple goodness.

Oh yea...I'll definitely be making this one again. It was so easy and delicious, how could I not?

Thanks for the great pick this month, Linda and Courtney! I loved it!

Here is what Charlie thought of the strudel.

Check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll for more strudel!

Apple Strudel
Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.