Family recipe for an original Viennese apple strudel from scratch. Learn how to make paper-thin strudel dough and the perfect apple filling!
Some clichés are clichés for a reason. This here is certainly one of them. While you think Appel Strudel on a site featuring Viennese food is almost sketchy, you may want to start thinking of why any tourist returning from Vienna talks about this treat.
In the end, I think it would be just awfully impolite not to share this outstanding piece of dessert with you. It took Austria at least two dynasties of decadent monarchs to come up with delicious treats like that while ignoring things like international relations and world politics. It would be a shame if this would go to waste then.
Granny’s recipe for apple strudel
Telling the story of how to recreate this Viennese marvel dish is kind of a challenge though, as it necessarily means picking from an awful lot of recipe variations developed over the years. So I’ll go with a source you can never be wrong: Found in an old family recipe book in my grandmothers kitchen.
However, my granny is a down-to-earth person, and therefore, she would always take some shortcuts. For example, she would never brush the stretched dough with melted butter – no, of course not, that would be way too much work. Still, I have to insist, not to skip this step as the melted butter separates the thin layers of dough and yields in a super flaky crust.
So here you go. Enjoy this classic Li’l Vienna recipe!
Update 10/25/2018: In addition to this Original Viennese Apple strudel, I added a new tutorial on how to make homemade apple strudel here. The main difference between this and the new recipe is the addition of walnuts and and the cutback of butter and breadcrumbs. I also added a few more pictures on how to prepare the filling.
How to make an Apple Strudel step by step
1. Make the dough
>> Update 10/02/2018: I’ve posted a detailed step-by-step recipe about how to make a paper-thin strudel dough from scratch. I’m using the same ingredients as below but I’ve added more pictures and the description is more detailed.
Combine all dough ingredients and knead the dough until smooth for about 10 minutes. Slam the dough onto the worksurface a few times to enhance gluten development, yielding a very elastic dough.
Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Brush a clean bowl with oil, put the dough into the bowl and brush it with oil (you can do this with your fingers).
Let it rest for 1 hour covered with cling wrap or make it up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge.
>> Find the step-by-step recipe about how to make homemade paper-thin strudel dough here (update 10/02/2018).
2. Prepare the filling
The filling consits of buttered breadcrumbs mixed with sugar and cinnamon, melted butter for brushing, sliced apples and soaked raisins.
3. Roll out the dough
Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface. Flour the surface and the dough every now and then while rolling.
4. Streching the dough
When the dough gets about 13-15 inch in diameter pick it up then use the back of your hands, particularly your knuckles, to stretch it (remove all sharp jewelry first). This way you can straighten the dough like a pizza. When the dough gets larger and thinner, and thus difficult to handle, put it down.
The dough sheet should be paper-thin. Be careful not to tear it.
Can you read the word on the slip of paper under the dough?
5. Spread the breadcrumbs
Brush one half of the stretched dough with melted butter, spread the butter-sugar breadcrumbs on the other side.
6. Spread the apples
Cut off thick ends. Spread the apple-raisin-filling over the breadcrumbs – leaving 1 to 1 ½ inch to the edge.
7. Prepare the dough for rolling
Fold in the sides so the filling won’t get lost during rolling.
8. Rolling the dough
Roll the dough over the filling, starting at the apple-topped end, lifting the filling’s weight with the cloth.
9. Roll dough onto a sheet of parchment paper
Roll the dough carefully onto a sheet of parchment paper, seam-side down.
10. Brush the strudel with melted butter
Put the dough onto a baking sheet and brush it with melted butter.
11. Bake the strudel
Put the strudel in the middle of the preheated oven and bake it for ½ hour at 375 °F. Let it cool slightly, cut into pieces and dust with confectioner’s sugar.
12. Enjoy
Enjoy!
If you are hestitant about making the strudel dough (= phyllo dough) from scratch, I’ve published a blog post on how to tackle strudel dough here. In addition, I have put together a free ebook that will answer all your questions – including FAQ, tips and tricks.
Click on the stars to rate!
Original Viennese Apple Strudel
Ingredients
Strudel dough:
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water (80 ml / 80 g)
- 1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon neutral tasting vegetable oil (15 g)
- ½ teaspoon vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 145 g bread flour (about 1 cup) (it works with all purpose flour too), see note
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil for brushing the dough
- flour for dusting
Apple filling:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (40 g)
- 2/3 cups fine, dry bread crumbs (80 g)
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar (65 g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons raisins (50 g)
- 3 tablespoons rum for soaking the raisins (see note)
- 2 lbs sweet-tart apples (900 g to 1 kg) (e.g. MacIntosh)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the dough (divided)
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
- whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
To make the dough
- Mix lukewarm water, oil, vinegar and salt in a big bowl. Acid like vinegar helps relax the gluten to make the dough easier to stretch.
- Stir in about half the flour with a spoon until well combined, then gradually add the remaining flour until it comes together and you can work it with your hands.
- Knead the dough until smooth for about 10 minutes, either in the bowl or on a working surface. The dough should be moist but not sticky. If it is too sticky to knead, add a little more flour (you shouldn't need more than 1 or 2 additional tablespoons). Slam the dough onto the worksurface a few times to enhance gluten development, yielding a very elastic dough.
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Brush a clean bowl with oil, put the dough into the bowl and brush it with oil (you can do this with your fingers).
- Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour at room temperature. (see note)
To make the filling
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast them, stirring constantly, until they are golden. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then add it to the buttered breadcrumbs and stir well. Set aside.
- Soak the raisins in rum (traditional) or lukewarm water for about 10 minutes to get them softened.
- Peel the apples, quarter and core them. Chop every quarter into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices and cover them with lemon juice to prevent the apples from getting brown. Add the soaked raisins (but not the remaining rum or water) and mix well.
Stretching and filling the dough
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a clean and lightly floured surface. Flour the surface and the dough every now and then while rolling.
- When the dough gets about 13-15 inch in diameter, pick it up then use the back of your hands, particularly your knuckles, to stretch it (remove all sharp jewelry first). This way you can straighten the dough like a pizza.
- When the dough gets bigger and thinner, and thus difficult to handle, put it down on a lightly floured tablecloth, straighten out the wrinkles in both the tablecloth and the dough. Continue stretching the dough on the tablecloth using your hands.
- Gently stretch the dough paper-thin from the inside to the outside, working your way around the sheet of dough. Stretch it until it starts to look translucent. You should be able to read the titles of a newspaper placed under the dough (don’t do this though, the ink would probably come off).
- In the end, the sheet of dough should be stretched into a rectangular shape, with the shorter edge fitting the baking sheet lengthwise. Thick edges should be cut off.
- Brush half the dough with half the melted butter. Spread the breadcrumb-mixture over the other half of the dough and pat down evenly. One side is brushed with butter now, the other side is covered with breadcrumbs. Leave 1 to 1 ½ inch to the edge. Spread the apples over the breadcrumbs.
- Fold in the side-ends of the dough. Using the towel, roll the dough, starting at the apple-topped end all the way. Then gently roll the strudel onto a sheet of parchment paper with the seam-side down.
- Put the dough onto a baking sheet and brush it with the remaining melted butter.
Baking the strudel
- Put the baking sheet in the middle (I use rack 2 of 4 from top) of the preheated oven and bake it at 375 °F (190 °C) until golden, for about 30 minutes . Note: Some readers have commented that their strudel needed a little longer in the oven, around 45 minutes.
- When the crust turns golden, the Apple Strudel is ready. Take it out of the oven, let it cool slightly, cut it into pieces and serve dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
Notes
Did you follow this recipe? You could share your result here. All you need to do is take a picture with your smartphone and send it to [email protected] User Hilal followed the recipe: "I've had Apple Strudel many times, but this is the first time I baked one myself. It turned out great, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Definitely baking it again!" User Dr. Filippa Viola: "After much research I stumbled upon your recipe and we made it tonite to our sheer delight. Our house might be in New England but our kitchen smells like a cafe on the kartnerstrasse! It is a definite star and I will be making it again and again to remind us of what a glorious place Vienna is!" Luisa tried out the recipe: "Thanks for your well written recipe. I used Calvados to soak my own raisins and made half a recipe for a Test Run. I think I'll use a bit more sugar next time. 30 minutes baking time was right on for mine." Click to enlarge. User Paul: "The dough was very nice to work with, though i could have used twice the amount. Used the rolling pin instead of my hands. No problems at all. Tasty and flaky. Will make it again for christmas." User James F. made Li'l Vienna's apple strudel with a great outcome! Esmeralda: "Hi LilVienna 😊, just made the apple strudel and it was amazing ❤️. I'm so glad I found your recipe. It didn't come out as pretty as yours as the dough was very flaky and fragile once baked, nevertheless the taste was spot-on. There is a reason why tradition is followed, it's tried and tested over the years. Thank you so much for the inspiration and the real strudel recipe!" Dulce tried our recipe:"Many thanks for Apple Strudel recipe. Am happy with my results. I varied the recipe a bit to use hazelnut powder instead of bread crumbs. Eager to try your other recipes now." Vanesa made strudel: "Hi there, I made the lil Vienna apple strudel, except I made it with home made puff pastry. Love it! Hope you like the look, :) Cheers, Vanesa " Linda: "Hi Ursula, Here's your Strudel recipe. I added some almonds and naturally, I served it "mit Schlag". While it was tasty enough, next time, I plan to use ground/or finely chopped almonds instead of the bread crumbs and more butter. (The way my Swabian mother made it.) You were right, it went fast, hence, nothing left to freeze. Thanks for the inspiration, Linda" Nancy: "Hello Ursula and thank you for the fab recipe! It was my first time trying a strudel and your instructions were excellent. I did have a small bit of trouble getting it stretched to an exact rectangle, but I suppose practice makes perfect. Thanks again!" Click to enlarge. Janelle: "Oh my goodness! We absolutely love Austria and apple strudel! After our last trip, I vowed to lean how to make it and your recipe is amazing! Thank you thank you!" Ric made the strudel 2 times: "I substituted 200g of dried apricots (soaked in rum with the raisins) for 200g of apples and the filling turned out very well. I followed your recipe for the dough and it was perfect - elastic and slightly moist but I have no skill for stretching it to paper-thinness. Apple Strudel #2 (see pic) is a great success, not much left and the pastry is quite good! " Jadranka: "Hello LilVienna! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipes, with your help I made my FIRST Apfelstrudel which I planned to do my whole life but never found the courage to do it, because I always thought my godmother is the only person on the planet who can make it the best 😋. I grow up in Croatia and European traditionally home made foods are something I don’t get here in L.A California! Thank you 🙏🏿 much appreciated! Excited to try some other recipes 😋, Jadranka " Debbie: "Hi there, I've been using this recipe for some time now but this is the first time I've written. Love it, never fails. Thanks for the recipe Debbie" Debbie Steiner: "I’ve been married to an Austrian for almost 30 years now and am not a big fan of Apfelstrudel and always shyed away from baking it because of the pastry although I’m quite a keen baker. Anyway, I finally caved and decided to bake an Apfelstrudel for my hubby. It came out really nice. We cut into it for dessert after dinner and there’s now only half left 😂😂😂 Thanks for sharing your recipe!" Deepa: "I tried your recipe for Apfelstrudel and it turned out tasty, considering it was my first attempt with Strudels. Your recipe bought back memories of the best apple strudel I have ever eaten, at a tiny cafe in Garmisch. Love, Deepa INDIA"
Fantastic Studel !!
Looks delicious and the recipe is really authentic – I love it :)
Pinning
Thanks! I’m glad you like it ;-)
My great Aunt who’s family is an old family of Vienna, used to make the filo pastry herself, and it was much flakier, also the apple was cooked more, so it was more stewed, it had cloves in it and I think she used just a touch of honey dribbled over the pastry before it went into the oven.
I make it to close to what she did, but I don’t make the pastry, I sort of cheat a bit with that and buy filo, but the apples are much nicer stewed and with some cinnamon, cloves, honey, sugar, sultanas, and No breadcrumbs. Mmmm that’s the way Great Tante Elvira used to make it.
Hi Nicole, I also think filo dough is a great and quick alternative to homemade dough. Actually, this recipe makes a very flaky dough since the dough is brushed with butter before rolling and therefore gets nice layers. The filling usually looks more “stewed” too – the time I made the strudel for the blog the apples didn’t look really stewed though… I’ve never heard of using honey before the strudel is being baked but I will try it the next time ;-)
Always wanted to make an Apple strudel, found your recipe. Took the plunge, used the dough from King Arthur and your apple filling. Instructions spot on. Came out great, saved a trip to Vienna! Thank you!
Bob Lee
Hi Robert,
So happy to hear that the strudel turned out so well! Saved a trip to Vienna hahaha.
Ursula
Hi Ursula,
you are indeed a real strudel dough master – I’ve done few times homemade dough, but it never looked nice like yours :)
I guess I’ll have to give it one more try following your grandmothers recipe…
Hi Jasmin,
thanks for the nickname ;-)
yes, give it one more try, I promise it will work!
This looks delicious!! I’ve never made strudel but I really want to. Definitely bookmarking :)
Yes, I can only recommend it! Tastes sooooooo lovely.
Fantastic dough! Thank you for great recipe. So easy, I did a few portions ahead.
Thanks. Great, and yes, it’s really easy…
needed an Apple Strudel blog recipe to share on my A Food Obsession Facebook page and came across this wonderful blog! Beautiful..shared it with my4000+ followers on all my groups..AND the bonus is,thatI am going to Vienna for 2 days in July, first time! So i’ll be pouring thru your archives!! Cheers!!
Wow, thanks so much!!! I didn’t know that June 17 is apple strudel day (haha, totally out of season).
I’m sure you will like Vienna! Don’t miss to try Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes) and of course, Wiener Schnitzel. Cheers!
This recipe came out pretty well! Working with the strudel dough was tons of fun – I spent a lot more time than 10 minutes kneading in order for the dough to feel happy and added a little flour so it wouldn’t be sticky. My oven time also came out closer to 50 minutes probably since I made it a bit too thick. However, a surprising success overall! I adjusted the sugar to the taste of the apples and was glad that it was not cloyingly sweet. Very delicious and the family was pretty impressed, I am looking forward to trying it soon again in the future now that I have a little experience under my belt :) This brought back great memories of having visited Vienna years ago as well. So, thank you very much for the guide!
Great it turned out fine!! Strudel making definitely becomes easier with a little experience but I am so happy that you handled it well. I’ve gotten some feedback from readers that they turned their oven to 400 °F for a nicely golden crust. In my oven 375 °F are fine though.
it’s the first time i do apple strudel, i have to say your recipe is just great!! he dough and the filling worked very well thanks you!!
Strudel all the way from Lebanon :)
Hi Hiba,
;-)) Wow, that’s fantastic!
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out great, such fine pastry enclosing delicious apply filling! The first time I forgot to put the pastry on the sheet of paper i had prepared so of course it wouldn’t roll, so I had to lift the filling off and remake the dough… Oops! But my Czech husband said it was like an above average Czech strudl – a very big compliment from him! I’ll be trying your buchty next :-)
Hi Naomi, that sounds great! The more often you make it, the easier it gets and you will find some shortcuts over time.
PS: Love I like your husbands solid compliment ;-))
This is a great recipe. I always try to use a recipe as given before changing it to suit my taste. This one doesn’t need to change.
I used a convection oven to bake this and it took more than twice as long to bake, partly due to its size. I think I would bump the temperature to 400 degrees. I think the crust might be a bit more tender.
As a first effort, I think it turned out well. I’ve never made a pastry crust before and, although it was a bit of work, it was really tasty!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Rich! Thanks so much! That’s so great ;-)
I always do experiment a little with recipes but at the same time try to stick to the original when cooking it for the first time (very hard for me!!) – so I really appreciate that you didn’t alter the recipe ;-)) I am surprised though that the baking time varies so much if using an convection oven. So far, I’ve only tried baking apple strudel in an electric oven and gas oven (both bottom heat only) and baking time was always between 35 and 40 minutes. I would also suggest turning the temperature up to 400 degrees then… Hope you will bake it again some time! Cheers, Ursula
Just made it the first time. The flavor was great, just the right amount of sugar for us. Kids and hubby loved it. However, the dough came out pretty tough. It was not easy to break pieces apart with the fork. I thought I rolled out the dough pretty thin. Baked at 375 for 45 min, it was not even brown after 30 min. Do you have any suggestions on how I could fix it? I’ve never tried authentic strudel and am not sure what it supposed to taste like. I’d like to try making it again though, it looks so perfect on the photo.
Hi Dasha,
It’s so great that you tried the recipe!! Apple strudel is definitely one of my fav autumn and winter desserts! About the baking time: So far, I’ve tried the strudel at 2 different stoves and it was always golden after 30-35 minutes. I recently moved, so I will try the recipe with my new oven soon and will update the recipe if anything is different this time.
I also shared the recipe at Food52.com – it was a community pick and therefore got a food52-review which said the following: “I left my strudel in the oven for closer to 45 minutes, which produced a perfect contrast between the soft, sweet-tart apple filling and the super flaky crust.” Another posting under the recipe suggested to turn up the temperature to 400 °F to encourage browning. I guess I would try baking it at 400 °F. The crust shouldn’t be tough at all, it should rather be crispy and flaky. I always brush it with melted butter before baking. The key is to stretch it very, very well (until translucent) to get a crispy strudel crust.
Usually, the strudel gets better with every single try, so keep on going ;-))
Hi,.. We are about to try to make it for Xmas,..! :)
Question,..
Could the strudel be prepared in advance and then put in the oven a few days later,..?
ie. frozen or kept in the fridge rolled (step 10),..?
Danke.
Ernst.
sorry,.. i mean step 16,.. rolling the mixture in the dough. but instead of putting it in the oven,… freezing it,..?
thanks
:)
Hi Ernest,
Honestly, I’ve never tried it, but I would guess no, it doesn’t work. I imagine that the apples will soak the dough. What you could do to keep all the work to a minimum on Christmas day is to make the dough ahead. It will keep well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. Or what should also work is freezing the strudel when it is baked. But I’ve never tried that either – should work though ;-)
Hope this helps. Have fun baking!
Thanks for the great recipe. Looking forward to making my first strudel on Christmas day. I’m supprised there is no call for an egg in the dough recipe. Most other strudel dough recipies list an egg in the ingredients. Don’t know how this will affect the consistency of the dough or its flakeyness. Love the “traditional” soaking of raisins in rum.
Hi Otto, nope, no egg. The traditional strudel dough is made without – and it works wonderful! I am also a big fan of rum-soaked raisins hehe. Hope everything turns out fine – especially if you make it for Christmas day. Some readers pointed out that the strudel needs a longer baking time or higher temperature. Just to give you a heads up. In the two ovens I’ve used recently, 375 °F is fine.
Thanks so much for the quick response. No egg it is. Maybe some finely chopped walnuts? I worked as a baker for 7 years in my misspent youth baking rolls, breads, doughnuts and danish. I still make pies and dinner rolls from scratch at home. So I know a bit about working with dough. However getting it to be strudel thin will be a challenge. I’ll let you know how this works out.
Thanks again!
Yes, let me know how it worked! Nuts (chopped coarsely) can be added to the apple-filling and make indeed a great addition. I wouldn’t add them to the dough, not even finely ground – I’m afraid the dough will tear when you stretch it.
Made it again for Christmas with my Czech family :-) I wasn’t as happy with it this time, because I was using a different flour – the first few times I used UK plain flour, which is suitable for everything except bread. This time I used something which was probably more gluten-y, and rested the pastry overnight in the fridge before preparing. When I stretched it, it was so elastic is was hard to keep it stretched, I had to literally pull sections thin by holding with my hands (this would have torn pervious iterations!), and the result was a bit less tender than last time. I think my learning from this is: if the dough is still shrinking when you stop stretching it, it is not stretched enough; and that this amount of dough will make enough to cover almost an A2 sheet of paper – if it is not that big, it is probably not thin enough!
Despite all this, my Czech father in law loved it :-)
And as a side note, I have always added 20 to 40 g chopped walnuts in by stirring them into the breadcrumbs
Merry Christmas!
Hallo liebe Ursula :)
Wollte nun mal fragen, ob es mit den gala-Äpfeln geht? Weil ich nur diese Sorte zu hause habe 🤔
Danke und Grüße aus Wien
Hallo Sümeyye, sorry für die verspätete Antwort … ich war auf Urlaub ;-) Gala sollte eigentlich eine “festere”, fruchtige Sorte sein. Ich persönlich mag säuerlichere Sorten lieber in einem Apfelstrudel, aber der Strudel funktioniert eigentlich mit jeglichen Äpfel-Sorten. Festere Sorten zerfallen innen im Strudel nicht so leicht bzw. werden nicht ganz so weich während des Backens (je nach Vorliebe ein Vor- oder Nachteil), säuerliche benötigen eventuell ein bisschen mehr Zucker. Die im Rezept angegebene Zuckermenge ist eher moderat und nicht zu süß, das heißt wenn du den Apfelstrudel mit einer sehr säuerlichen Apfelsorte (was Gala nicht ist) machen würdest, dann würde ich den Zuckeranteil leicht erhöhen. Ich habe den Strudel schon mit vielen Sorten gemacht und bisher war er jedes Mal super ;-) Ich hoffe das hilft dir ein bisschen weiter! LG
This might sound crazy, but would it be possible to make the dough and put schnitzel inside instead of apples? I really want to make “schnitzel strudel” even if it isn’t a real thing.
Hahaha. “schnitzel strudel” – what an idea ;-) Hmmm, honestly I really don’t know. For one reason if it tastes good, for an other one if the schnitzel inside would be baked throuh when the strudel dough starts browning…. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Hi :)
For several years we are visiting your show at Schonbrunn each time we are visiting Vienna.
This time we decided to be brave enough to prepare it our-self and want to ask you a question (after show You told that we can ask questions, if any :).
We did everything according to the receipt. It is very tasty, form is also very close to original. Just there is some small issue: once strudel is becoming cold, on it some brakes/cracks happen on the surface. What can be possible reason of that and what we can have done wrong, which may lead to this?
Many thanks :)
Marianna
Hi Marianna!
I am honored that you think you did the strudel show in Vienna with me ;-) Unfortunately this is somebody else. But if you have tried my recipe, I sure can help you and give you some tips to prevent cracking.
First, I have made this strudel really often but the crust never cracked. Did you brush the strudel with melted butter before you put it into the oven? What you can also do, is brush the strudel crust with melted butter when it comes out of the oven. Hope that helps!
I just made on with flaky paste (Blätterteig) from here:
https://www.rezeptewelt.net/Backen/apfelstrudelblatterteig.php
But yours is soo much better! :)
Thank you Isabella ;-) I also prefer strudel dough over puff pastry dough when it comes to Apfelstrudel.
This Apple Strudel looks gorgeous. I have been looking for a recipe and your step by step guide is definitely helpful. Going to try this soon. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jenny, Yes, please go ahead and try it. I hope you will like it. Enjoy!
I am in Vienna right now and my daughter and I have been enjoying apfelstrudel all week! I am definitely going to try your recipe as soon as I get back to Canada! Wish me luck! We also love topfenstrudel! Do you by any chance have a recipe for it?
Hi Denise! Enjoy Vienna (if you are still there) ;-)) Great that you want to try the recipe. I am sure you will nail it. I am a huge Topfenstrudel fan. So far, there is no recipe on the blog but I am experimenting with homemade Topfen (Quark) right now, so I hope I can post a recipe soon. And thanks, ever since I read your comment, I am craving Topfenstrudel ;-) haha. Take care and please let me know if you have any questions concerning the recipe.
ps: If you are still in Austria and you find “Topfenknödel” on a menu, you have to order it. I bet you like it.
Just made half a recipe of this as a test run for an Austrian themed dinner this coming Saturday. I have the dessert course. It turned out beautifully and I did do a few things differently. I used Calvados to soak the raisins (from our own garden grapes). After tasting I decided to use a bit more sugar next time and add a Granny Smith apple to the two I used.
Thanks for a great and clearly written recipe.
Luisa, Thanks so much for making this strudel – and especially for making it for an Austria themed dinner ☺
Dear Ursula, this was my first time making a strudel. It took me around an hour of baking, maybe it’s my oven. When I took it out it was pretty hard, but after it cooled down it kind of broke open a little bit and some of the “juice” poured out. Should I put it back in the oven for a bit more? I’m concerned. Another thing, after done, must I store it in the fridge or can I keep it outside?
Hi Cinthya, So great that you have tried the recipe!! Sorry that you had some troubles with it though.
I’ve gotten some feedback from readers that they turned their oven to 400 °F for a nicely golden crust. In the
23 ovens I’ve baked the strudel so far (onetwo electric, one gas) a temperature of 375 °F was perfect every time. It sounds like I would turn the temperature up a bit. When I remove the strudel from the oven, the crust usually is crackin hard. After 5 minutes or so, it softenens and is easier to cut. The strudel is usually finished, when the crust turns golden. At the same time, the apples are usually steamed and have a brownish color. But I never had juice pouring out. Have you had some holes when you rolled the dough?? It’s ok to store the strudel at room teperature for a day. I sometimes just put it back in the cool oven or put the leftovers in a container. If you wanna store it a little longer – let’s say 2 days – please store it in the fridge. The crust will be somehow softer after it was stored in the fridge. I really hope you will give it another go. I would turn the oven to 400 degrees F. Hope this helps a bit. UrsulaSO excited to try to make this! My nanny made the most perfect apple strudel and this looks just like it :)
Hi Joyce! I hope it tastes just like your nanny’s ;-) The apples are a little more steamed though as they look on the pictures. They only looked like this one time, when I took the pics ;-)
Ursula,
We live in Baton Rouge, La and would like to buy a couple of apple strudels, where can I order it?
Thank you
Hi Francisco, Oh that would be so great ;-) But since I am a regular person without a business, I can just offer you my recipe for apple strudel. Give it a try!
Ursula, we baked the strudel, it came out 4.. fist time.. it was delicious. Made some pics, not sure how to upload it.. For first everyone including friends like it very much.. Maybe rookie’s luck.. but Im ready for another bake.
Thanks,
Hi Francisco, Great! Well, maybe it’s not beginner’s luck but you simply are a pro ;-)
If you want, you can send me the picture ([email protected]) and I’ll upload it.
I’ve searched online for a bit looking for a great strudel recipe and I think this might be it. My German mother used to make a great one, but sadly, none of my sisters nor I has her recipe.
I’m giving this one a try for a German-themed holiday dinner party next weekend. My question, which may seem silly, is when to make this while you have guests over for dinner? It seems like there is a lot of work to do, not just preparing the ingredients, but actually putting it all together properly to bake. I’m trying to figure out if I can even assemble the whole thing before my guests arrive, put it in the fridge, and then bake it after dinner? Any recommendations? Thank you!
Dear Ursula,
So sorry for my late reply. I hope it’s not too late….
I know, this strudel takes some time. And the right timing for a dinner party might be even trickier. Usually, apple strudel is either served slightly warm or cold. I prefer it warm. So what I would do is prepare the entire strudel and put it in the oven at about the time when your guests arrive. I guess it won’t harm the strudel if you put it in the fridge for an hour or so before baking. I wouldn’t prepare it too long ahead though since the apples might soak the dough…
In my oven it takes 30 minutes to bake and it takes at least 15 minutes to cool from very hot to warm. But it will still be warm 30-45 minutes after you’ve removed it from the oven.
What you could also try is to bake it ahead (even the day before) but not bake it all the way. Let’s say, just bake it for 20 minutes (of 30 minutes). Just that the strudel is firm and crispy but doesn’t have any golden color yet. When your guests are here and are ready for dessert, you can put the strudel in the preheated oven until it gets a nice golden color and is heated up. I have to admit though that I haven’t tried this method yet. I just thought it might work.
I hope you are still considering making it for your party or if I am too late, probably for the next one ;-)
Ursula
We made our first strudel today and it’s still sitting on a cooling rack, waiting to be eaten. My wife is of Austrian descent (her Grandfather is from Die Zillertal) and we had some very good apple strudel two years ago in Vienna (Cafe Theo) during a visit with relatives – hope ours taste as good. We too had to bake it a little longer than 35 minutes at 375, we baked it for 40 minutes and it’s nicely golden brown. I had a little trouble with the dough tearing since I forgot to put it on a towel so it has a few patches on it. Thanks for an excellent presentation with pictures and written instructions. Happy New Year!
Jerry and Kay Sivets
Grand Marais, Minnesota
Hi Jerry and Kay! It’s so great that you tried this recipe. Yes, it’s crucial to put the strudel on a towel or tablecloth ;-) But you managed to save the strudel! I’m impressed and I hope it tasted as you imagined it.
Looking forward to making some strudel, my great grandmother “Honeybunch” was Czech she taught my mother how to make strudel and a white braided bread with raisins in that we call holska of which us kids have been making for years. Anyhow my mother hasn’t made any strudel for at least 10 years or more, so I’ve decided to give it a go. I made the dough last night and when I get home from work I’ll be giving it my best effort :) ps instead of raisins mom always used currants as will I. Will keep you posted.
Hi Jim, Austrians and Chzech have a lot of recipes in common. Currants instead of raisins sound delicious. I also like cranberries very much in the “Rosinenzopf”. I have two recipes on the blog for these sweet braided breads, maybe you’ve checked them out already (“striezel” and “zopf”). And it’s so great that you are making the strudel. Let me know how it turned out! Ursula
EXCELLENT!! It did take me a little while to gain the confidence as to how hard or gentle to stretch the dough, only had to small holes. My parents really enjoyed it with Dad saying “it was the best thing that I ever made” Thank you and thank you. I will be making it again real soon.
How great that everybody enjoyed it!! A few small holes are totally ok – you can simply pinch them together. With every time you make it, you will get more confident, I promise ;-)
I had to laugh at the request for a Schnitzelstrudel. But other than the typical fruit-based strudels (apple and cherry), my grandmother also made a Fleischstrudel and a Topfenstrudel. You have not really experienced Strudel until you have been lucky enough to have one of one of those. Point being no need stop with just apples. I see some recipes out there, but:
1- I could swear my grandmother cooked the Fleischstrudel in simmering water, and that presents an entirely different challenge. Would the same dough work? Maybe wrapped in a towel as one can do with Semmelknoedl?
2- the Topfenstrudel recipes, at least not the ones I saw, would not work largely on account what is Topfen here anyway? Typical translation would be cottage cheese or quark, and that just sounds horrid. Ricotta somehow how lightened up (couple of eggs maybe?) and some Stroh Rum-soaked raisins added, should work as filling though, about right?
Oh, and your recipe looks real good, I saw nothing missing from what my grandmother used to and my mother still does. Slapping of dough, bit of vinegar, are small details often overlooked. Actually there is an improvement here: at first I did not understand the picture, but the rolling of the edges over the filling first before rolling lengthwise is a great idea, way easier that way. Also keep the strudel end pieces much cleaner. Our Strudelscherzerl now will see significant improvement, thanks for that
Hi Heimo! I see, you are an expert!! Fleisch- and Topfenstrudel are indeed a treat. I’ve never heard of cooking the Fleischstrudel in simmering water. I only know Fleischstrudelsuppe, where you put the Fleischstrudel in broth after cooking it in the oven. But I never stop learning….
About the Topfen: Try farmer’s cheese. I think it is the most similar product to Topfen you will find here in the US. I usually buy it at Market Basket but didn’t find it the last time I was shopping there. I hope they still have it. It’s somehow firm and really similar to Topfen. I even made Topfennockerl with it and it worked just fine.
And about the edges of my apple strudel: Putting the edges over the filling before rolling the strudel makes indeed a much cleaner strudel. No filling that’s pouring out during baking. My granny always did it that way.
I hope, I could help a little, Ursula
I am in the middle of this … about to roll out the dough but this is for a dinner party tomorrow night (book club — we just read Stephan Zweig). I was wondering if I can roll it and put it in the refrigerator over night. I am afraid it might split as the dough is so thin. Thank you!
Sorry, since you wrote this comment yesterday, my reply will probably too late :-(
You mean assembling the strudel (rolling and filling it) and put it in the fridge? No, I wouldn’t do that. The apples are moist and might soak the dough. You can prepare the dough ahead of time, but don’t roll it. Just leave it as a ball, grease the bowl and the dough and tightly cover the entire bowl with cling wrap or a tight lid if using a mixing bowl.
Thanks Uraula for a fab recipe.
I’m a none baking bloke but love apple strudel and have wanted to bake my own for a long time but have never found a recipe that worked before.
I’ve made a strudel exactly following your recipe today and it’s turned out just brilliant so thank you so much for posting the easy to follow recipe.
very best wishes
Paul
Thank you so much Paul, you made my day!!!!! And that means a lot since I am just moving and kind of living in between boxes ☺
I am so happy I stumbled upon your site. I have always wanted to try to make my great grandmother’s recipe for strudel, but she never used a recipe. She was born in Neusiedl and moved to the states when she was 18. Anyway, when my grandmother would try to make her strudel she would use phi-lo, but I always wanted to try to make my own dough. Your step by step recipe makes it look simple enough. I can’t wait to make apple, cherry and cheese, and cabbage strudels now. Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
I am glad that you like our little blog ;-) Philo dough is a good substitute, but making it from scratch is actually not much harder. And once you have tried it a few times, you’ll not want to go back to the store-bought version. Neusiedl is a great area, especially culinary!
This recipe looks absolutely delicious, thanks so much for posting! I plan on making this for Christmas, and I’m wondering about the dough. If I’m making it ahead of time, would I knead the dough first, let it rest for an hour, then put it in the fridge? Or would I put it in the fridge right after kneading?
Hi Olivia, Thank you for planing on making it for such a special occasion ;-)
You can do it both ways. But there is no need to let it rest at room temperature. It will relax in the fridge anyways. The important thing is, to let it properly get to room temperature. It shouldn’t be cold at all, otherwise it will tear when you strecht it. What I would suggest if you have never made apple strudel before: Try the recipe one time before Christmas, to get a feeling for streching the dough and for practice. Once you get the heck, it’s super easy, but usually it’s a little tricky if you try it for the first time. Hope everything is working out fine and you’ll have fun. Ursula
Thanks so much for all the tips! I’ll see how it goes :)
desculpe, mas esta massa é sem farinha de trigo? não vi nos ingredientes da massa.
qual a quantidade?
grata
I don!t see in the ingredients the amount of wheat flour, really will not wheat flour?
Hi Denise,
It’s 145 grams of wheat flour (= bread flour) as listed in the ingredients. Hope you will try the recipe. Ursula
I used this recipe today, with a couple of tweaks to make it mine. It came out great. The dough was easy to work and you gave a perfect first time tutorial. I will make this again!
Thanks for sharing your recipe
Hi Kathi, That’s great to hear. I always tweak recipes (even my own), so Yay!! Hope you had a great start into 2018.
Dear Ursula
Thank you so much for the detailed and amazing recipe, it was the best strudel I have ever had so tasty and flaky and is going to be on my regular baking list! I’m looking forward to trying all your other recipes.
Best wishes
Maria
Hi Maria, Wow that’s so great to hear. Yay!! Thank you so much for taking the time and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it :-)
I was writing about the original Apple strudel show in Schonbrunn, and I found your recipe which is really the same as their traditional original way! I mentioned your recipe in my blog if anyone wants to try at home;)
Thanks Jean, that’s so nice of you. I read your post about the strudel show on your blog. Great!!!
The first time I made Apple Strudel (30 years ago) I neglected to stretch the dough thinly enough. We needed chisels just to open it. After a few days it softened up enough to eat. I learned an important lesson about not cutting corners.
Now I am making it for the first time in 15 years for a family party. You can assume I am nervous.
Hi Mark,
Haha, yes!!! If you don’t stretch the dough thin enough, it will be rock hard. I hope the new try after 15 years did work out for you :-)
Wow, my respect for the extensiveness of this receipe. I never dared to make the dough step by step! I love apfelstrudel, especially with warm vanilla sauce.
Thanks so much, Joost. Making the dough is actually not difficult at all, once you have the knack of it. I love it with warm vanilla sauce as well. Yum!
Thanks for the recipe. The bread flour and vinegar made a huge difference. I never had a strudel dough as nice to work with. Like you mentioned it took longer than 30 minutes to get a nice color on the top. However, the apples were then a bit over done. I’ll have to experiment with time and temperature.
Hi Cliff,
Yes, the dough is nice to handle and super easy to stretch. That’s why I always use this recipe. I’ve made this strudel in different ovens and the browning and baking time really depends largely on the oven. So you’ll have to experiment a little to get the perfect result. Maybe put it a little closer to the top heating element…. Thanks so much for your comment, I really appreciate people making the time and let others know how it turnded out.
Hi, I was wondering if the dough and filling can be kept in the fridge overnight? (I want to serve my strudel straight from the oven, but don’t have enough time to prepare it on the day.)
Hi Dee,
I have never tried that, but I would guess that the apples soak up the dough. So I would not recommend it. But I think somebody mentioned in the comments that he/she has frozen the rolled up raw strudel with success and then baked it when needed. If you read through the comments, there are also some helpful tips what people have already tried. But as I have never tried freezing it or preparing the strudel in advance, except for the dough, I can not guarantee a successful outcome.
Best, Ursula
Delicious and fun to make! The dough was super elastic and it’s ability to stretch was just awesome! The only thing I slightly changed was the breadcrumb mix – I substituted about half of it with almond meal. And also I soaked the raisins in Cointreau liquor (couldn’t stop snaking on them). The baking time was about 40 min. The pastry was super thin and flaky, but the filling was the best! So full of apple flavour! I liked it better on the second day actually – it softened a bit and the favour developed even more. What is a correct way to store it? Container, wrapped or? Thank you!
Hi Laana,
I’m happy to hear that the strudel turned out well :) I often subsitute half of the breadcrumbs with ground nuts like walnuts or add some chopped ones, like here: https://www.lilvienna.com/homemade-apple-strudel/
I usually store the strudel at room temperature for one day (then it is gone, haha). When the oven has cooled down, I put the strudel back in for storage. But I do this only for one day and not if my kitchen is pretty hot, like in summer. Alternatively, I put the leftovers into a container in the fridge. The crust will not be crispy any more, but I love it that way too – soft and cold :) Hope this helps! Ursula
I am so happy to have found this recipe. I’ve made it a few times and it tastes EXACTLY like my Oma’s strudel! She was from Vienna. I didn’t get her recipe from her before she passed and I’ve always missed it so thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Jessica,
I’m so happy that you like the recipe and that the strudel tastes like your Oma’s. I hope it brings back lots of good memories. Thank you for your comment and I hope you’ll bake the strudel every once in a while :)
Ursula
I am grateful and happy to have found this recipe. My great-grandmother was born in Austria and she made Apfelstrudel divinely, after her death I could never find an authentic strudel again. I’m studying your recipe carefully and I’m going to make it. Thank you again.
Hi Fabio,
So jappy to hear that you have found what you were looking for. I hope this recipe resembles the one you know from your great-grandmother and I hope that you’ll try it some time. Let me know if you have any questions. Ursula
Super recipe! Worked like a charm!
Hi Emilia,
Thank you so much and so happy that the strudel worked well. And thanks so much for letting me know!
Ursula
Ursula, we are so grateful to you for perfecting your recipe! We just made 20 of these Strudels for our Oktoberfest at the German Cultural Center in Santa Cruz with a group of volunteers and wonderful compliments from our Austrian members! The highest praise was that it tasted just as good as their mom’s strudel!
I would like to share one addition to the recipe. Whenever I bake a strudel, I make sure to use at least three different types of apples. This gives the flavor a much greater depth and I also brush the entire strudel dough with butter while rolling it up.
When I make it at home for my family, I also put a layer of sour cream on the buttered dough before adding the apples because that’s how my Bavarian grandma who was a professional cook made it.
Nochmals, vielen Dank!
Hi Jasmin,
Wow – 20 strudels!!! That’s amazing! So happy to hear about the positive compliments from the Austrian members :) The 3 different types of apples sound delicious. And I’ve never heard of adding a layer of sour cream, that’s new to me. Have to try it some day for sure. Thanks so much for letting me know about your Oktoberfest and leaving a comment here. Made my day :)
Ursula