Traditional Apple Strudel with Homemade Dough
Traditional apple strudel is made with a soft, elastic dough stretched until it is almost transparent, then wrapped around spiced apples, sultanas and breadcrumbs. The technique takes a little patience, but it produces something bought pastry cannot: a crisp, delicate shell surrounding a soft, fragrant apple filling.
This chef-led recipe takes you through making the dough, choosing the right apples, stretching the pastry over a cloth and rolling the strudel without tearing it. Serve it warm or at room temperature with icing sugar, custard or cream. No shortcuts, no unnecessary complication—just traditional apple strudel made properly.
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Quick Answer
Traditional apple strudel is made by stretching a soft, well-rested dough until it is almost transparent. The dough is brushed with clarified butter and breadcrumbs, filled with drained spiced apples, then rolled with the help of a cloth. Bake it in a hot oven until crisp and deeply golden. The keys are elastic dough, firm cooking apples and a filling that is not too wet.
What Is Traditional Apple Strudel?
Apple strudel, or Apfelstrudel, is a rolled pastry filled with apples, sugar, cinnamon and often dried fruit. Unlike puff pastry, traditional strudel dough is not laminated with layers of butter. Its delicate texture comes from developing the gluten through kneading, resting the dough properly and stretching it extremely thin.
The word strudel refers to a whirlpool or swirl, describing the spiral layers created when the filled pastry is rolled.
Which Apples Are Best for Strudel?
Firm, tart apples are best because they retain some texture and balance the sugar, sultanas and pastry. Granny Smith apples are reliable and widely available, but other firm cooking apples can also be used.
Avoid very soft or floury apples. They can collapse during resting and baking, producing a wet filling rather than distinct pieces of tender apple.
Why Does Strudel Dough Need to Rest?
Kneading develops the gluten that gives strudel dough its strength and elasticity. Resting then allows that gluten to relax. Without sufficient resting time, the dough will spring back, resist stretching and tear more easily.
Properly prepared dough should stretch gradually over the backs of your hands until the cloth underneath is almost visible.
How to Make Traditional Apple Strudel
Traditional Apple Strudel with Homemade Dough
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook—or a large mixing bowl
- Large clean cloth, approximately 1200 × 1000 mm
- Rolling Pin
- Large baking tray
- Apple peeler or vegetable peeler
- Apple corer
Ingredients
Strudel dough
- 250 grams strong bread flour Plain flour may be used; see Chef’s Note
- 3 grams fine salt Approximately ½ teaspoon
- 150–165 ml lukewarm water Add gradually; the exact amount depends on the flour
- 30 ml neutral oil Plus extra for coating the dough
- plain flour For dusting the cloth and work surface
Apple filling
- 1 kg Cooking apples Approximately 6–8 medium apples; Granny Smith works well
- 80 grams sugar Adjust slightly according to the apples
- 1 Lemon Finely grated zest and juice
- 100 grams sultanas
- 6 grams cinnamon
To assemble and finish
- 80 grams Clarified butter Melted and cooled slightly
- 50 grams Breadcrumbs
- icing sugar for dusting the strudel after baking.
Instructions
Make the strudel dough
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the oil and most of the lukewarm water.
- Mix on low speed until the ingredients form a soft dough, adding the remaining water gradually if required.
- Continue kneading on low to medium speed for 10–15 minutes, until the dough is smooth, silky and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and lightly coat the entire surface with oil.
- Place on an oiled tray or in a bowl. Cover directly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1–2 hours. The dough may also be refrigerated overnight.
Prepare the apple filling
- Peel and core the apples, then slice them thinly and evenly.
- Combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and zest, sultanas and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Cover and leave for approximately 2 hours. This softens the apples and draws out excess juice, making them easier to roll inside the delicate dough.
- Drain the apples thoroughly before assembling the strudel.
Stretch and assemble the strudel
- Preheat the oven to 210°C conventional or 190°C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Spread a large clean cloth over the work surface and dust it generously with flour.
- Place the rested dough in the centre and roll it to approximately 300 × 300 mm.
- Slide the backs of your hands beneath the dough. Working gently from the centre outwards, stretch the dough until it is paper-thin and approximately 1000 × 800 mm. You should almost be able to see the cloth through it.
- Carefully tear or trim away any thick edges that have not stretched evenly.
- Brush the stretched dough lightly with melted clarified butter, then scatter the breadcrumbs evenly over the surface.
- Arrange the drained apple filling along one short side of the dough, leaving a border around the edges.
- Fold the side edges over the filling. Use the cloth to lift and roll the strudel forward, keeping the filling enclosed without rolling it too tightly.
- Seal the final edge with clarified butter and gently tuck the ends underneath.
- Using the cloth for support, transfer the strudel to the prepared tray with the seam underneath. Curve it slightly if required to fit the tray.
Bake and serve
- Brush the surface generously with clarified butter.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden.
- Brush with a little more clarified butter immediately after baking.
- Leave to stand for 10–15 minutes before dusting generously with icing sugar.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Apple strudel is best eaten on the day it is baked.
KOOK’S SECRETS
Properly rested dough stretches; rushed dough fights back. If the dough keeps springing back, cover it and rest it for another 10–15 minutesSimple. Classic. Done properly.