Bavarian Style Apple Strudel Apfel Strudel Recipe 465

APFELSTRUDEL (CLASSIC APPLE STRUDEL)

Steps:

• To make the dough: Place the flour, egg, soft butter and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mixing with the dough hook on low speed, add enough of the cold water to make a soft dough. Knead the dough in the electric mixer at medium speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and coat it with oil. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• For the filling: To make the coarse bread crumbs, toast slices of white bread in the oven until crisp, about 10 minutes. Break into pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse the processor until the bread resembles large bread crumbs. In a saute pan, over medium heat, saute the bread crumbs in 1/4 cup of the melted butter until they are golden brown. Reserve the sauteed bread crumbs and the remaining melted butter separately. Combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, raisins, nuts, ground cinnamon and about half of the bread crumbs. Cut the firm butter into chunks and gently toss together with the apple mixture.
• To Assemble: Cover a work surface approximately 4 feet by 4 feet with a clean piece of cloth. The cloth is used to facilitate stretching and rolling the dough. Make sure that the cloth is securely fastened to the table. Dust the cloth lightly with the flour. Place the rested dough in the center of the cloth. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle. When the dough is as thin as it will go with the rolling pin, it is time to begin stretching and pulling the dough. To stretch and pull the dough, place your hands under the dough, and, using your thumbs and the back of your hand, gently begin pulling and stretching the dough. Pull and stretch the dough until it is a rectangle approximately 3 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet. Be very careful when you are pulling and stretching not to tear the dough. After it is pulled to the proper size, let the dough relax on the table for a few minutes. There will be a thick edge around the edges, trim this away. You also want to trim off any parts of the dough that hang over the edges of the table. Place the apple filling next to the long edge of the dough closest to you. Form the filling into a thick log. Brush some of the reserved melted butter generously over the remainder of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs over the dough. Using the cloth to help lift the dough, roll the strudel as you would a jelly roll, starting from the filling side. Place the strudel, seam side down, in a horseshoe shape on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the strudel with the last of the melted butter. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 35 minutes, Remove the pan from the oven and cool. Slice the the strudel into individual servings and serve either warm or at room temperature.

BAVARIAN "PULLED" APPLE STRUDEL (GEZOGENE STRUDEL)

Steps:

• Work the flour, eggs, oil, water, and salt into a dough.
• Divide into three parts.
• Form a ball of each piece, brush each piece of dough with oil and let it rest for 45 min.
• Place a old clean tablecloth on the table, roll out a ball a thin as you can.
• Here comes the tricky part.
• Make sure you are wearing no rings-- go under the dough like you are making your hands into claws with your fingers pointing down at the table and the soft part of your knuckles is what is going to pull the dough toward you.
• You will do this all around in a circle until the dough is paper thin and you can see through it.
• Brush generously with melted butter during this process.
• Trim off the heavy edges.
• Sprinkle on the apples, some sugar, cinnamon to taste, nuts if you like and drizzle a little melted butter over all.
• Now take the tablecloth and fold about 5" over toward the center on each side forming a frame around the dough.
• From the long side, Lift one side of the tablecloth and roll up completely.
• Fold it as long as your pan is.
• Seal edges.
• Gently put rolled strudel into the pan Bake at 350* for about 45-55 min.
• Until golden brown.
• There are other fillings like cheese, cabbage, sweet or sour cherries, raisins/nuts can be added to the apples, even meats have been done with this dough.
• I prefer the apple and cheese myself.

BAVARIAN APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475. Butter a 13X9 baking pan and set aside.
• Place the raisins in a small bowl, add the rum and let soak while you proceed.
• Mix cold water and lemon juice, set aside.
• Peel and core apples, cut into eighths, then cut each eighth crosswise into thin slices, letting them drop into the water and lemon juice mixture; set aside.
• Combine the sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
• Spread the phyllo sheets on a damp cloth. Lightly brush the left half of the top sheet of phyllo with a little of the melted butter and fold in half as if closing a book. Fit into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and brush lightly with more butter. (You can also spray the sheets with butter flavored spray - it still tastes great and you save a lot of fat - very easy too).
• Layer in 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering, folding and buttering as before. (The phyllo sheets may not fit the bottom of the pan exactly - if too big, tuck under any overhang; if too small, stagger placement so that bottom of pan is covered.).
• Drain the apple slices and pat very dry. Arrange half the slices in the pan on top of the phyllo.
• Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture and half the raisins and rum; then spread with half the creme fraiche.
• Top with four more phyllo sheets, again brushing with butter, folding and brushing again after placing in pan. Make sure the phyllo covers the apples.
• Arrange the remaining apples on top of the phyllo, sprinkle with remaining sugar, rum and raisins.
• Spread the remaining creme fraiche and set aside.
• Bring the cream and rosewater to a simmer in an uncovered small heavy saucepan over low heat, then pour evenly over apples. Finally top with remaining phyllo sheets (about eight), using the same buttering, folding and buttering technique.
• Place the pan of strudel on a baking sheet (to catch any boil over) and slide onto the middle rack.
• Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 400 and continue baking, uncovered, till bubbling and richly browned. *THE RECIPE DOES NOT SPECIFY A TIME HERE - begin checking after 10 minutes - I baked it about 20-25 minutes after the initial 10. (if it browns too fast, cover with foil).
• remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes.
• Sift confectioner's sugar evenly over the top, cut into large squares and serve at once.

GERMAN APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Place flour in a mixer bowl; beat in 1/4 cup oil (mixture will be slightly crumbly). In a small bowl, slowly whisk warm water into beaten egg; add to flour mixture, mixing well. Beat in remaining oil until smooth. Transfer to a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rest in a warm place, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Spread bread crumbs into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely., Tape a 30x15-in. sheet of parchment onto a work surface; dust lightly with flour. Divide dough in half; place 1 portion on parchment and roll to a very thin 24x15-in. rectangle. (Keep remaining dough covered.) Remove tape from parchment., Sprinkle 3/4 cup bread crumbs over rectangle to within 1 in. of edges. Starting 3 in. from a short side, sprinkle 3 cups apples and 1/4 cup raisins over a 3-in.-wide section of dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half of the mixture over fruit. Drizzle with half of the melted butter., Roll up jelly-roll style, starting at fruit-covered end and lifting with parchment; fold in sides of dough as you roll to contain filling. Using parchment, transfer strudel to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; trim parchment to fit pan., Bake on lowest oven rack 45-55 minutes or until golden brown, brushing top with sour cream 2 times while baking. Repeat with remaining ingredients., Using parchment, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.