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 don’t like apple strudel, to be quite honest. I like apples, but this goes back to my weird idiosyncracy of not liking fruit in certain ways. I like fresh orange juice but don’t like eating oranges. I like apples, but won’t eat apple pie or strudel. I like bananas in muffins and smoothies, but refuse to eat an actual banana. Yes- I am aware that I’m a freak. I know it, and I embrace it. In the words of John Lennon:

“I’m not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I’ve always been a freak. So I’ve been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know… I’m just one of those people.”

Yeah.

Anyway I have issues with eating desserts that incorporate real fruit. But thats my problem, not yours. And since I’m the only one around here with such an issue, it was insisted that I create this strudel in the exact form the Daring Baker’s presented it. Apple Strudel is big around here. I was going to do a chocolate one, maybe one with chocolate and a cannoli type filling, but my life was threatened so I made the apple one. I, perhaps, will make a chocolate one at some point down the road… but until then here’s my entry for the May Daring Bakers’ Challenge: Apple Strudel.

‘Kay, so I cheated a bit and folded and rolled my dough into a smaller piece, then cut it and made mini strudels from those pieces. I made about 12-14 in total, but they varied from the size of my hand to two or three that were the length of about half my forearm. The dough was a freakin’ pain in my ass to work with*, and I had a lot of holes and rips. Thats how I came up with my idea of folding it into pieces and making mini-strudels. The filling was easy, of course, its just apples, cinnamon, sugar and rum. But all in all they came out fairly good. Some better than others. And yes, I made quite a few little strudels and they were all a hit with whomever tasted them. Thanks again, Daring Baker’s! You never let me down with your recipes.

I used Golden Delicious & Granny Smith apples..

*For you lazy cooks out there, have no fear. You can use Phyllo dough instead of making your own. Sure, maybe its not exactly the same, but it works. The entire point of the challenge this month was making the dough, but if I made it again or had to make it quick, I’d definitely go for the pre-made stuff. Much easier! Yeah I know, purists probably want to hang me right now. But seriously. Its 2009 & I run a website called ‘Cupcake Rehab.’ I’m not anal about this stuff. I say, if you need to use a shortcut, use it. But if you have time and patience, try the homemade. I bet with practice it’d be fairly easy to do. If you have the kind of space and time to practice making studel dough, that is.

And again, I always say “This time I should take pictures of myself during the process, actually making it…” and then the time comes and I either get too wrapped up in it, or there’s no one around to take the picture, or my hands get covered in flour… you get the idea.

Recipe can be found if you …

APPLE STRUDEL

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

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.. like Granny Smith, Macoun, Golden Delicious)

1. 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.

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

1. 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.