Apple strudel - Daring Bakers
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
I had only
eaten Apple strudel once before, it was in Austria, and from what I remember it
was delicious. I was thus quite pleased to see this month’s challenge. My
boyfriend, though, was not that excited, I guess he would have preferred macarons
or something chocolaty.. tss, don’t let them get used to such things ^^
I decided
to stay pretty close to the recipe, because apple strudel was a very first time
for me and I did not want it to turn into a failure. I halved the recipe, added
some dried figs, and used wine vinegar instead of cider vinegar. Also, I
replaced walnuts with hazelnuts.
Result : yummy !! Sweet, tasty. Still I was not completely happy with my dough.. It just was not as crusty as I expected it to be. But we ate it so quickly, it can only mean it was delicious !
Preparation
time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes
15-20 min
to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool
Strudel
dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna,
Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
1 1/3 cups
(200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1. Combine
the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix
the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the
flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is
not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball
back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough
ball with a somewhat rough surface.
2. Take the
dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work
surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down
hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the
dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand
for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).
3. It would
be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36
inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover
your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the
fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough
and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to
gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.
4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.
Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna,
Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
2
tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick
slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)
1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.
3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.
4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.
Pour ceux et celles qui préfèrent le français !
Comme bien souvent, je n’ai pas trouvé le temps de traduire la recette (non mais quelle idée de devoir poster cette recette le lendemain de la fin des exams aussi !!). Mais je pense que Nawal ou Isa devraient la poster en français.
L’apfel strudel, je n’en avais goûté qu’une fois, c’était en Autriche, dans un petit salon de thé bien typique, au fin fond du Tirol. J’en garde un souvenir gustatif délicieux.
Le résultat que j’ai obtenu était tout à fait plaisant pour les papilles aussi. Une pâte un peu moins croustillante que ce que j’espérais, mais tout de même, on l’avait vite englouti, cet apfel strudel (enfin, j’avais divisé la recette par deux, mais ça m’a quand même donné un beau spécimen).
Par rapport à la recette originale, je n’ai pas changé grand-chose, j’avais trop peur de me louper. J’ai ajouté quelques figues séchées en morceaux, j’ai remplacé les noix par les noisettes.
Je n’aurais jamais eu l’idée de faire un apfel strudel moi-même, et c’est bien ce que j’aime chez les DB !!