Today I’m bringing you sweet, flaky apftelstrudel, the very best way to end Oktoberfeast! I still dream about the Bavarian strudel I ate at all hours of the day. Thin, flaky dough is brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with sugary toasted breadcrumbs, and topped with apple slices tossed with rum-soaked raisins. Rolled into a log and baked until golden and crispy, the whole thing is dusted generously with powdered sugar. This strudel is completely irresistible even before a few steins of bier!
In case you missed it, we’re celebrating Oktoberfest feast week! Every day this week I’ll share a Bavarian recipe, then on Friday I’ve got the ultimate guide to hosting your own Oktoberfest dinner party. It includes all the details like what to make ahead of time, planning out your oven space, and of course a few great beer recommendations!
Strudel dough is stretched beyond paper-thin, gently worked across the back of your hands until you can literally read newsprint through it. Sound intimidating? Promise it’s actually pretty easy. This is the most forgiving dough, and it’s unleavened so you don’t even need to worry about it not rising. If your dough does tear a little, you can just pinch the edges together again and it’s good as new.
I quartered my apples and cut out the cores, cut each quarter in half, and then sliced each piece into fourths. For those of you counting along at home, that’s 32 slices – maybe not strictly necessary for our strudel, but I love lots of thin layers. The key is to make sure all the pieces are roughly the same size so they’ll cook evenly.
I almost never peel my fruits or veggies because there are so many good nutrients in the skin, which is important even if we are making dessert. You can peel yours if you really can’t deal with the texture, but at least give it a try with the peels on – you’ll hardly know they’re in there!
I’m so excited to share the party guide for this week’s Oktoberfest recipes tomorrow! We’re about to be in nerd planning heaven, because I’ve got every detail of hosting written out for you. Get ready to host a delicious Bavarian-style beer garden party in your own backyard!
More Oktoberfeast Recipes
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 |
 |
 |
Schweinshaxe (Roasted Pork Knuckle) |
Käsespätzle (Cheese Noodles) |
Rotkohl (Red Cabbage) |
Ultimate Oktoberfest Party Guide |
Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)
Ingredients
Strudel Dough
- 1/3 cup water lukewarm
- 1 T. vegetable oil
- 1/2 t. lemon juice
- 1/8 t. salt
- 1 cup flour
- vegetable oil for brushing
Apple Filling
- 2 T. raisins
- 1 T. dark rum
- 2 T. butter
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 lb. baking apples peeled & cored
- 1 1/2 t. lemon juice
- 2 T. butter melted
- powdered sugar for dusting
- whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Mix water, oil, lemon juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the flour.
- Knead the dough in the bowl for about 10 minutes, until smooth and not sticky. Pick up the dough and slam it into the bowl a few times to help the gluten develop.
- Brush a clean bowl with oil and transfer the ball of dough to the clean bowl. Brush the surface of the dough with oil and cover with plastic. Let dough rest at room temp for an hour.
Making the Filling
- Soak the raisins in rum in a small bowl for at least 10 minutes.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown.
- Remove skillet from heat and whisk in brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the apples and toss with lemon juice, raisins, and remaining rum in a large bowl. Set aside.
Assembling the Strudel
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Pick up the dough and begin stretching it with your hands, like it's a pizza crust. Stretch it over your knuckles as paper-thin as you can without tearing, creating a large rectangle.
- When the dough is too thin to handle, lay it down on a large, clean towel and stretch out any thick edges.
- Facing the dough in landscape orientation, so the long edge is toward you and the short edges are on your left & right, brush the left half of the dough with 1 T. melted butter.
- Sprinkle the right side with the breadcrumb mixture and gently press into the dough. Top with apple mixture, leaving about an inch of space from the edges.
- Fold the long edges of the dough, top and bottom, over the apple filling & melted butter. Starting from the right edge, begin rolling the strudel up tightly, using the towel to lift.
- Set the strudel seam-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.
Print Recipe
More Oktoberfeast Recipes
|
|
|
|
Schweinshaxe (Roasted Pork Knuckle) |
Käsespätzle (Cheese Noodles) |
Rotkohl (Red Cabbage) |
Ultimate Oktoberfest Party Guide |
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