Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 45 ml dark rum
- 50 g raisins
- 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 4 g ground cinnamon
Breadcrumb Binder
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 40 g plain breadcrumbs
Pastry Assembly
- 8 filo pastry, thawed if frozen
- 90 g unsalted butter, melted
- 10 g icing sugar, sifted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 292 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 131 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 30 mg
- Potassium
- 168 mg
- Calcium
- 27 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Phosphorus
- 41 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 98 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.17 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.12 mg
- Niacin
- 1.3 mg
- Folate
- 25 mcg
- Water
- 79 g
- Alcohol
- 2 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the raisins and dark rum. Let them soak for at least 15 minutes to plump up.
Melt 20 grams of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add the sugar, ground cinnamon, and the plumped raisins along with any unabsorbed rum. Mix thoroughly.
Unroll the filo pastry. Keep the stack covered with a slightly damp clean kitchen towel to prevent drying. Lay one sheet of filo on a clean, dry work surface and brush lightly but thoroughly with melted butter. Repeat this process, stacking 8 sheets of filo, brushing each layer with butter.
Sprinkle the cooled, toasted breadcrumbs evenly over the buttered filo stack, leaving a 5 centimeter border around all edges.
Mound the apple filling in a compact log shape along the lower third of the pastry (the longest side nearest to you). Use your hands to tightly pack the apples.
Fold the short side borders inward over the apples. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the pastry tightly over the filling, continuing until you have a neat log. Transfer the strudel carefully to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.
Brush the outside of the strudel generously with the remaining melted butter. Cut 4 to 5 diagonal slits across the top layer of the pastry to allow steam to escape during baking.
Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the pastry is deeply golden and shatteringly crisp.
Remove the strudel from the oven and allow it to rest on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes. Dust heavily with icing sugar before slicing with a serrated knife.
Chef's Notes
- Slicing the apples to a uniform thickness is paramount; it ensures they cook evenly and prevents hard chunks from piercing the delicate filo pastry from the inside.
- Toasting the breadcrumbs in butter is non-negotiable. They act as a critical sponge to absorb the apple juices, maintaining the integrity of the crispy pastry base.
- Work efficiently when brushing the filo to prevent it from drying out. Use a light hand with the melted butter to avoid dragging and tearing the delicate sheets.
- While traditional Austrian strudel dough is stretched entirely by hand until transparent, high-quality commercial filo pastry provides a highly acceptable, accessible, and reliably crisp alternative.
- Cutting vents in the top of the unbaked strudel allows steam from the cooking apples to escape. Without vents, the built-up steam will cause the pastry to burst open at the seams.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store loosely covered to maintain some crispness. Will soften over time.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked. Bake directly from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175 degrees Celsius oven for 10 minutes to recrisp the pastry.
Troubleshooting
Pastry is soggy on the bottom
Cause: Excess moisture from the apples was not absorbed or apples were extremely juicy
Fix: Return to the oven on the lowest rack for 5 to 10 minutes to help crisp the base.
Prevention: Ensure breadcrumbs are toasted well and completely cover the pastry base beneath the apples. Drain apples if they release too much liquid in the bowl.
Filo pastry tears and shatters while rolling
Cause: Pastry dried out from air exposure during the buttering process
Fix: Patch significant tears with a spare piece of buttered filo pastry before baking.
Prevention: Keep unworked filo sheets covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel and work swiftly.
Filling spills out from the ends during baking
Cause: Ends were not folded in securely or rolled tightly enough
Fix: Use a spatula to push the escaped filling back towards the strudel immediately upon removing from the oven.
Prevention: Fold the short ends inwards over the filling securely before beginning the rolling process.
Cultural Context
Apfelstrudel is an iconic Austrian dessert that gained immense popularity during the Habsburg Empire. While its earliest architectural origins trace back to the Ottoman Empire's layered baklava, it was adapted in 18th-century Vienna into the sweet, fruit-filled rolled pastry we know today. Serving the strudel warm with a generous dollop of schlagobers (whipped cream) or a pool of vanilla sauce is the time-honored Viennese tradition.
