SUNDAY DESSERT #36: Apfelstrüdel
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Austria/Germany 🇦🇹 🇩🇪
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Advanced
INSPIRATION: When I think of September, I automatically associate it with apples. It just wouldn't be right to skip out on an apple dessert this month.
RECEPTION/COMMENTARY: There are two types of apfelstrudel. The fake one that uses a sweet, bread-like dough and glaze (think braided apple cinnamon bread) seen everywhere in America. Then there is the REAL one that uses a pastry dough that is rolled out so thin that you can see through it. In fact, historically, you couldn't call it a true strudel unless you could read a newspaper through the thinned out dough sheet. And that is why this recipe is somewhat advanced. Rolling that sucker out without breaking it is fragile work! The secret is adding lemon juice to the dough. The acid is supposed to relax the gluten and help it stretch during this process. I still struggled, but at least you can see through it!!! 🤗
Now, there is a great debate in our house (and I'm pretty sure the whole world) about raisins. Jared hates them with a passion and I love them; especially in desserts with apples. So I feel bad, but he's gonna have to pick them out because it just ain't apfelstrudel without them. I used the golden raisins because it compliments the flavor of the apples best, but the regular ones will do the trick nicely.
Also, I used two different kinds of apple for layered texture and taste; granny smith and honeycrisp. The differences in taste, acidity, and texture make a HUGE difference in the final result because it adds more dimension to the pastry flavor profile.
And after the work, this dessert is top notch! I hope my German ancestors are proud. 😂10/10 for this cinnamon apple treat! Dust a little powder sugar on top and a side of vanilla ice cream and you're good to go!
WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN? "More strudel, Herr Detweiler?" "How many have I had?" "Two." "Better make it an uneven three." More like five, in my case... 😂 So yes, I would!
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