RECIPES
Ideas and recipes from sunny Australia, for nourishing,
wholesome foods, prepared
with holistic ingredients that
love you back.
APFELSTRUDEL (THE BAVARIAN WAY)
Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Organic
Today I want to share this much-loved, traditional Bavarian family recipe with you. It's my ultimate comfort food for autumn, when the trees change colour and the fruits of late summer (apples, plums and pears) are ripe and make beautiful desserts.
My parents used to get bucket loads
of fresh country apples from my grandparents farm which would keep us supplied until winter and ensure a weekly Apfelstrudel on the table!
The Strudel (a German word meaning 'whirlpool') dates back well into the late 1600s in the countries which were formerly known as the Habsburg Empire (Austria and Hungary today).
Although the classic Strudel recipe uses apples, it can be made with various fillings – such as cherries, pears or apricots – and can be eaten warm or cold, as a pudding or served at tea time. My family would have a hearty vegetable soup for lunch and the Strudel after...
Main ingredients are flour, water, butter and one egg. The dough is thin, elastic-like and the traditional preparation takes a little bit of time, skill and patience.
The secret is to make a smooth dough and rest it well, so the gluten can relax. Roll the dough out on a clean cotton cloth (sprinkled with flour) using a wide surface and streching it, until it reaches the thickness of parchment paper. (In Bavaria they say a Strudel-dough should be thin enough so you can read a newspaper through it :-)
Don't let this put you off from giving this a go. It tastes simply divine and I am always astonished what a few clean and simple ingredients like flour, butter, water and apples can create!
Please note: I don't use any sugar in this recipe. If you have a very sweet tooth please add sweetener, raisins or powdered sugar to the apples.
INGREDIENTS
PASTRY
500 gr organic flour
1 egg
20 gr buttter
25 gr olive oil
200 gr lukewarm water (or more)
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
FILLING
1.2 kg apples
180 gr nuts (walnuts or almonds)
50 gr of butter
1 tbsp of vanilla essence
1 lemon
METHOD
Combine pastry ingredients by hand or in a high speed blender.
(Thermomix does a perfect job) Form one smooth ball. (Add more water or olive oil if pastry has cracks or looks dry).
Set aside and let rest for an hour
in a closed container.
Meanwhile, peel apples and slice into fine pieces. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and vanilla essence.
Grind nuts in a food processor.
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Separate dough into four or five even size balls and roll out with flour on a cotton cloth until it resembles parchment paper.
Sprinkle each of these sheets with apples and nuts and roll with cotton cloth (see pictures below).
Melt butter into a baking dish, place rolls side by side and bake for 45 min until golden brown.
Serve warm with vanilla sauce, yogurt or simply on its own.
You can also freeze for up to three months and bake in the oven.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
© 2018 Heart to Plate. Design by PACO Branding & Design. All rights reserved.
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of its User Agreement and Privacy Policy.