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strudel di mele

Italian Apple Strudel (Strudel di Mele)

Silvana Nava
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.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories 388 kcal

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.

Notes

NOTE 1#: 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.
NOTE 2#: The thickness of the dough should be very thin, about 2 mm, enough that you can almost see through it.
NOTE 3#: This thin layer of breadcrumbs you spread over the dough will absorb the moisture and juices released by the filling, which would otherwise make the dough mushy.

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 284mgFiber: 5gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 392IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Italian apple strudel, Italian strudel, strudel di mele
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