Italian apple strudel is a typical dessert of the South Tyrolean culinary tradition. This delicious dessert consists of a very thin rolled dough (strudel actually means "twist") filled with a delicious filling of apples, raisins, pine nuts and flavored with cinnamon and lemon.
Strudel is great either warm or lukewarm. You can enjoy it for breakfast or as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.You can also serve it as a dessert with a scoop of gelato, a little whipped cream or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
The preparation of Italian Strudel di Mele is very simple and within everyone's reach. Contrary to what you might think, preparing the dough is easy. The important thing is to let it rest at room temperature for at least half an hour so that it becomes elastic and can be rolled out very thinly.
For a successful recipe, choose an apple variety with juicy flesh. So here is the step-by-step recipe, complete with tips and tricks, for making a delicious Italian apple strudel recipe.
Ingredients
Prep Time: 50 min | Rest Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 40 min | Serving: 6
FOR THE DOUGH (STRUDEL DOUGH)
- 130 g (¾ cup) of flour
- 1 medium egg
- 25 ml (1 ¾ tablespoons) of water
- 10 ml (¾ tablespoon) vegetable oil
- 1 pinch of salt
FOR THE FILLING
- 600 g (1.3 pound) apples (I used "golden delicious" and "renette")
- 60 g (3 ½ tablespoons) of sugar
- 40 g (⅓ stick) of unsalted butter
- 60 g (~2 oz) of breadcrumbs
- 50 g (1.7 oz) raisins
- 25 g (~1 oz) pine nuts
- 1 medium lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons of rum or grappa (optional)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
TO DECORATE
- 30 g (1 oz) melted unsulted butter
- powdered sugar
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- BOWLS: You may need Some bowls to make the dough and filling.
- PASTRY BOARD: A pastry board on which to work the dough
- ROLLING PIN: A rolling pin to roll out the dough very thin.
- GRATER: I recommend a citrus grater to make the lemon zest.
- PASTRY BRUSH: Also a pastry brush to sprinkle the srudel with melted butter before baking.
Instructions
The Dough
Step 1) - To prepare the Italian apple strudel, start with the dough. In a bowl, put the sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Then add the egg and water.
Step 2) - Start kneading with your hands. Then add the vegetable oil as well and knead the dough once more.
Step 3) - Transfer the dough to a work surface and continue to knead until smooth and homogeneous. The dough should be quite soft and elastic; if it feels sticky, you can add another tablespoon of flour. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
The filling
Step 1) - While the dough is resting, prepare the filling: melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan with the melted butter, mixing well. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2) - Toast the pine nuts in a separate pan: 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Then grate the lemon zest. Finally, soak the raisins in warm water in a glass. If you like, you can use rum or grappa instead of water to soften the raisins (optional).
Step 3) - Peel the apples and cut them into thin slices or cubes, whichever you prefer. I prefer the cubes. Add the sugar and mix well. Then add the cinnamon and grated lemon zest.
Step 4) - Finally, add the toasted pine nuts and raisins, well drained and squeezed. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
NOTE: The filling ingredients should blend and release their flavors, but they should NOT macerate for too long to prevent the sugar and apples from releasing too much water. Therefore, I DO NOT RECOMMEND making the filling long before making the strudel.
Make Italian Apple Strudel
Step 1) - At the end of the resting time, place a lightly floured dishcloth on the pastry board. Place the dough on top of the cloth. Roll out the dough until you have a very thin rectangle of dough (about 35x45 cm/13x17 inches).
NOTE: The thickness should be very thin, about 2 mm, enough that you can almost see through it.
Step 2) - Spread the toasted breadcrumbs evenly over the rolled out dough.
NOTE: This thin layer of breadcrumbs will absorb the moisture and juices released by the filling, which would otherwise make the dough mushy.
At this point, add the apple filling. Spread the mixture well over the surface of the dough.
Step 3) - Roll up the longest part of the strudel. Be careful not to break the dough. Use the tea towel it was laid on to help. Seal the short sides of the strudel as well to keep the filling from spilling out during baking.
Step 4) - Place the strudel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the sealed side down. Brush with melted butter before baking.
Bake the strudel in a static preheated oven at 190°C (374°F) for about 40 minutes.
Remove the strudel from the oven and let it rest for a while (about 30 minutes), so that the ingredients release all their flavor and the dough reaches the right consistency, being then easy to cut.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into slices and serve lukewarm.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Italian Buckwheat Cake
- Italian Apple Cake (Torta di Mele)
- Cherry and Pastry Cream Strudel
- Baked Apples in Puff Pastry with Amaretti and Jam
- Savory Apple Strudel with Speck and Onions
Storage
You can store apple strudel at room temperature, under a cake bell, for 2-3 days.
Inevitably, it will tend to lose its fragrance after the first few hours due to the moisture released by the filling.
So I recommend warming it slightly in the oven before serving
You can also freeze the strudel, either uncooked or cooked, and consume it within a 1 month.
Substitutes
- PASTA FROLLA: You can substitute strudel dough, also called “pulled dough ” for its particular elasticity and thinness, with short crust pastry (pasta frolla). That way you will make a cake with a crispier, fuller crust.
- PUFF PASTRY: Also very suitable for making srudel is puff pastry. This solution is very convenient if you use ready-made puff pastry. A little more elaborate if you try to make puff pastry at home.
- COOKIES: One idea to make your strudel even yummier is to replace the breadcrumbs with ground cookies. Also a useful idea if you have open packages of cookies to finish. If you use very sweet and rich cookies, you can avoid adding melted butter and you can decrease the amount of sugar.
Variations
The classic strudel recipe is with apples, like the one I have showed you; this is in fact the typical fruit of South Tyrol and is almost its symbol. However, there are delicious variations.
- BERRIES: They often add blueberries or raspberries to the apples.
- PEARS: Or very often they use a mix of apple and pears together.
- OTHER FRUITS: You can try strudels made from other fruits always using the same process. Great for example are cherry strudels or peach and apricot strudels in the summer season.
- NUTS: In addition to pine nuts and raisins you can also add coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds.
- SAVORY STRUDEL: Given the neutral, non-sweet flavor of strudel dough, this is also very suitable for savory preparations. Typical of South Tyrol is strudel with a filling of potatoes, leeks and speck. Of course, there are many variations depending on the season and taste. From the simple ham and cheese filling, to those with radicchio and zola or with mushrooms and eggs, just to give examples.
Tips
In Italy apple strudel is famous and popular, especially in South Tyrol but also in Trentino, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto. So the most appropriate apples are obviously the local ones.
The important feature is that they are apples holding able to stay soft while holding well the high cooking temperatures.
In short, apples suitable for strudel should not remain hard or dry during cooking. They should not flake but at the same time release the juice that should soak the other ingredients.
But sweetness also has its value so in the end it seems to be a matter of taste. Tradition seems to favor Renette for a more tart taste and Golden Delicious for a sweeter strudel.
History and Origins
Although apple strudel has become the signature dessert of Trentino-Alto Adige, it appears to have Turkish origins.
In fact, it appears to be a variation of the ancient baklava, a typical Turkish specialty consisting of a pastry shell with dried fruit and honey inside.
Following the Turkish conquests, the dessert arrived in Hungary around the 17th century, where it began to be rolled and stuffed with apples.
From there it spread to Austria and then, favored by Austrian rule in the nineteenth century, to northern Italy, particularly Trentino-Alto Adige. It was very successful in this region because of its very large apple production.
Recipe Card
Italian Apple Strudel (Strudel di Mele)
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 130 g flour - ¾ cup
- 1 medium egg
- 25 ml water - 1 ¾ tablespoons
- 10 ml vegetable oil - ¾ tablespoon
- 1 pinch salt
FOR THE FILLING
- 600 g apples - 1.3 pound (I used "golden delicious" and "renette")
- 60 g sugar - 3 ½ tablespoons
- 40 g unsalted butter - ¾ cup
- 60 g breadcrumbs - ~2 oz
- 50 g raisins - 1.7 oz
- 25 g pine nuts - ~1 oz
- 1 lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons rum or grappa - (optional)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
TO DECORATE
- 30 g melted butter - 1 oz
- powdered sugar
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH
- To prepare the Italian apple strudel, start with the dough. In a bowl, put the sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Then add the egg and water.
- Start kneading with your hands.
- Then add the vegetable oil as well and knead the dough once more.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and continue to knead until smooth and homogeneous. The dough should be quite soft and elastic; if it feels sticky, you can add another tablespoon of flour. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
MAKE THE FILLING
- While the dough is resting, prepare the filling: melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan with the melted butter, mixing well. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toast the pine nuts in a separate pan: 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Then grate the lemon zest.
- Finally, soak the raisins in warm water in a glass. If you like, you can use rum or grappa instead of water to soften the raisins (optional).
- Peel the apples and cut them into thin slices or cubes, whichever you prefer. I prefer the cubes. Add the sugar and mix well. Then add the cinnamon and grated lemon zest.
- Finally, add the toasted pine nuts and raisins, well drained and squeezed. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
MAKE ITALIAN APPLE STRUDEL
- At the end of the resting time, place a lightly floured dishcloth on the pastry board. Place the dough on top of the cloth. Roll out the dough until you have a very thin rectangle of dough (about 35x45 cm/13x17 inches).
- Spread the toasted breadcrumbs evenly over the rolled out dough.
- At this point, add the apple filling. Spread the mixture well over the surface of the dough.
- Roll up the longest part of the strudel. Be careful not to break the dough. Use the tea towel it was laid on to help. Seal the short sides of the strudel as well to keep the filling from spilling out during baking.
- Place the strudel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the sealed side down. Brush with melted butter before baking.
- Bake the strudel in a static preheated oven at 190°C (374°F) for about 40 minutes.
- Remove the strudel from the oven and let it rest for a while (about 30 minutes), so that the ingredients release all their flavor and the dough reaches the right consistency, being then easy to cut.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into slices and serve warm.
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