Go Back
Print Recipe

Austrian Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel) with an Autumn Twist

This autumn twist apple strudel consists of apples, rum-soaked dried cranberries, orange, almonds, cinnamon, sugar, & buttered breadcrumbs. Fall is here and this dessert screams it. Try your hand at a traditional Austrian apple strudel dough rolled and stretched enough to equal a workout. Top with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream, vanilla sauce, &/or a dollop of whipped cream WITH an additional dusting of cinnamon. Holiday dessert? Check!
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Austrian
Keyword: Austrian apple strudel, apfelstrudel, apple pie, holiday dessert
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Strudel Dough

  • ¼ cup oil
  • ⅓ cup water heated to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
  • 200 grams (1½ cups+4 tbsp) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp salt

Apple Filling

  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp rum or apple juice orange juice, cranberry juice, or water
  • 4 medium tart apples firm, crisp apples like Granny Smith
  • 1 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp butter melted (for brushing over the dough)

Toasted Buttered Breadcrumbs

  • 1-2 tbsp butter
  • 30 grams breadcrumbs

Topping

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • ¼-½ cup powdered sugar for final dusting

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Strudel Dough

  • In a medium bowl, sift in flour using a sifter. Add salt and combine. Pour in warm water (heated to 100˚F-110˚F / 38˚C-43˚C), and oil. Use a spoon to combine the ingredients. Use your hands as the dough stiffens and add a teaspoon of additional water at a time until the dough has come together without flour bits remaining in the bowl. Turn out the dough onto a work surface and knead for 5 minutes. You may or may not need flour for kneading.
  • Return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
    TIP: A warm area is good to keep the dough temperature warm particularly if your environment is cooler than room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (191˚C) and line a 17x12-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
    TIP: Use the same parchment paper from rolling the dough after you’ve rolled it.

Step 2: Make the Apple Filling

  • While the dough rests, in a small bowl, combine the dried cranberries and rum (or other liquid). Allow the cranberries to soak for 30 minutes. Then, discard the rum (or other liquid) using a strainer.
  • While the cranberries soak, peel, core, and slice the apples into thin strips (like large thick matchsticks). In a large bowl, add apples and pour in orange juice. Stir in cinnamon and sugar. Drain the soaked cranberries and add them to the mixture. Add chopped slivered almonds and vanilla extract. Stir well and set aside.

Step 3: Toast Buttered Breadcrumbs

  • Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast until lightly brown. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
    TIP: If you're in a hurry, you can forego toasting the breadcrumbs and just add them directly to the dough.

Step 4: Roll Out Strudel Dough

  • Measure out and cut a large piece of parchment paper to a minimum of 18x12 inches. (This could be the same paper you use to line the baking tray). Lay parchment paper on a thin kitchen towel on the counter. Sprinkle flour over the parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as thin as possible (always starting from the center). Roll out the dough to at least 18x12-inch rectangle. Then, use your hands (fists, more specifically) and stretch the dough to desired length; think of stretching pizza dough. The dough should be paper thin, so thin you can read a letter through it. If not, keep stretching. Don’t worry if there are a couple of tears in the dough. Once it’s rolled, the holes will be covered.
  • Brush 2 tbsp of melted butter over the rolled-out dough from side to side, end to end.

Step 5: Add the Filling & Fold

  • On one short side of the rectangle, leave a 6-inch margin. Then just inside of the margin, sprinkle breadcrumbs from top to bottom over the dough about 6 inches wide. Leave a 2-inch border at both the top and bottom edges to allow for folding over the dough.
  • Pour the apple filling into a strainer over a bowl (or sink) and allow it to drain a few moments. Then, spoon the apple filling over the breadcrumbs in the same 6-inch-wide strip.
  • Fold the 2-inch margin at the long edges of the dough over onto the filling and all the way down both edges like folding a soft taco. Then, use the parchment paper to help roll up the strudel from the short side with the filling (rolling like a cinnamon or jelly roll). Keep the long edges folded in as you roll to the end.
  • Move the strudel seam side down to the center of the parchment paper and transfer both the strudel and parchment paper to the baking sheet. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the egg and water together. Brush the egg mixture over the strudel dough.

Step 6: Bake & Serve

  • Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes-1 hour or until golden brown.
  • Let the strudel cool for 10 minutes. Then dust the top with powdered sugar (and maybe a little cinnamon). Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cold (or at room temperature) with vanilla sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

Video

Notes

-If making a strudel dough from scratch is not your thing, you can sub with sheets of buttered phyllo dough. Layer the phyllo dough, add the breadcrumbs and apple filling as described and follow the rest of the recipe.