Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Homemade Puff Pastry Apple Strudel came from my podcast guest, Daniela Wilson. Make sure you listen to Daniela's powerful episode Rejection, Defection, and Redemption while you make her grandmother's traditional flaky Apple Strudel from the old country (made much easier with puff pastry)!
When Daniela, my guest on The Storied Recipe Podcast, shared her mother's apple strudel recipe with me, I nearly panicked! Somehow I had the idea that strudels were impossible to bake successfully.
But truthfully, this recipe couldn't have been any easier to follow or succeed. Of course, that's because the real finicky part of making strudels is making the dough. That little trouble goes away when you use store-bought puff pastry, as Daniela urged me to do!!
This recipe is perfect for apple season in the fall or as an elegant, yet easy Apple Strudel recipe for special occasions that everyone will enjoy.
P.S. Daniela provided several recipes in relation to her episode! Check out her other storied recipes, Charcuterie Cheese Board, Chleba Bread, and Brie with Roasted Grapes - and do NOT miss her incredibly powerful episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast.
Controversy! Is Czech or German Apple Strudel THE Original?
What's clear is that Apple Strudel originated in Austria-Hungry. Earliest records of the recipe are found in the Vienna City Library dating in the end of the 17th century.
Although most well-known as a traditional German dessert, many argue that it is equally accurate to identify Apple Strudel as an old-fashioned Czech dessert.
In fact, just like Germany, Czechia was a part of the Austrian empire (the Czech Republic was considered Lower Austria) during the 17th century, when the dessert was popularized.
So, it seems to us there is no real controversy here 😉 German Apfelstrudel and the Czech version are all one and the same, dating back to their common history. While every region, every grandmother, and every home certainly make their own versions, they all will bear resemblance to that recipe card still sitting in the Vienna City Library 🙂
P.S. For this reason, Apple Strudel will pair wonderfully with the traditional Saxon beef delicacy, Roulade!
Top Tip
Cut out the difficult process of making homemade pastry dough!
Buy premade puff pastry from the store. Any brand will do, like this puff pastry dough from Pepperidge Farm on Amazon. You will have the same delicious flaky pastry without the stress of making homemade strudel dough.
If you feel slightly guilty about this, keep in mind that Danielle, who contributed this family recipe going back generations, is the one who urges us to take the easier and more sure outcome!!
If you really want to try a time-consuming, old-fashioned dough process, try this authentic Povitica recipe, where you'll need a bed sheet and a table at least 5 feet long to stretch and roll the dough!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pastry
- Make sure to buy puff pastry dough, not phyllo dough (aka filo pastry).
- Phyllo dough has less fat than puff pastry, which can lead to your apple strudel being dry.
Which apples are best for apple strudel?
This guide from the Almanac shows which apples are optimal for pies, cakes, muffins, tarts, baking, or simply for snacking.
- Apart from that advice, choosing the best apples for your apple filling is ultimately up to your personal preference.
- For a tart apple strudel, pick tart apples like granny smith apples or add lemon juice to your apple slices.
- If you want a sweeter apple strudel, choose apples with a higher sugar content, such as honey crisp, golden delicious, or pink lady apples.
Apple strudel filling
- Raisins (or golden raisins if you want a sweeter raisin). Danielle includes instructions for soaking the raisins in rum.
- Fresh apples
- Walnuts - Shelled, obviously, and chopped.
- Cinnamon
- Bread crumbs: to soak up some of the liquid from the apples.
Variations on Recipe
Apple strudel turnovers
- You can make this variation of apple strudel as individual turnovers. This recipe from Recipe Tin Eats also uses puff pastry for the turnovers and gives you an option to keep them plain or stuff them with cream.
Vanilla Sauce
- If you want to add something on top of the pastry, All Taste's German shared a German Vanilla Sauce recipe to top your strudel with a decadent, rich sauce. It is a fairly easy recipe to make with simple ingredients such as vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, corn starch, milk, white sugar, a pinch of salt, and 4 egg yolks.
Simple Toppings
- Instead of icing sugar, you could instead add coarse sugar for an extra sweet crunch. Or add fresh whipped cream on top because you can't really go wrong with adding whipped cream to your desserts!
Instructions
How to Make Apple Strudel:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Peel and shred apples.
- Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions.
- Prepare work surface with parchment paper and flour.
- Roll out one puff pastry sheet to 9"x15" (23cm x 38cm).
- Add toppings: walnuts, shredded apples (no juice), bread crumbs, cinnamon, and raisins.
- Roll up dough into a log shape, sealing the ends.
- Place on baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush with egg wash.
- Bake for 15 minutes, brush with egg wash again, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and, if you'd like, serve with vanilla ice cream).
National Apple Strudel Day!
Did you know that there is a national Apple Strudel Day? It falls on June 17th every year. The best way to celebrate is to make one yourself and share this sweet treat with others. Pair it with a nice cup of coffee or tea (and a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you need something a little extra sweet).
P.S. Take a look at the National Food Days 2024 Free Printable Calendar to get inspired to make other recipes on their national food day!
Equipment
- parchment paper
- medium mixing bowl
- rolling pin
- wire rack
- baking sheet
- stand grater OR box grater
Storage
According to Cooklist:
- If you are planning on eating the strudel in a day, it can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container.
- However, if you are not planning on eating the strudel right away, to ensure that the strudel doesn't dry out, cut it into equal sections, wrap each section in plastic wrap, and put them in an airtight container in the fridge. It will be good for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- If you want to save it for even longer than that, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into freezer bags. This will be good for up to 3 months.
Listen to Daniela's Episode
In this podcast episode, Daniela, a defector from the Czech Republic, tells a story of painful personal rejection, defection from her home country, and spiritual, emotional and physical redemption - all through the vessel of cherished food memories.
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Recipe
Easy Homemade Apple Strudel Recipe with Puff Pastry
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 2 strudels - 8 slices 1x
Description
Flaky puff pastry encircles chunks of juicy apples, rum-soaked raisins, and crunchy walnuts in this old-fashioned Apple Strudel recipe - authentic, yet made more easily and quickly with puff pastry.
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry (contains two pastries)
- 1 lb apples (about 5 medium)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup raisins (soaked in rum, (or to taste))
- 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped, (or to taste))
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure you listen to Daniela's episode, Charcuterie Board: A Story of Rejection, Defection, and Redemption while you make her Apple Strudel.
Make The Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
- Peel and shred apples using a stand grater or box grater.
- Allow the puff pastry dough to defrost in the refrigerator according to package instructions.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a surface. Sprinkle the parchment paper with flour.
- Unwrap and unroll one puff pastry and lay it flat on the parchment paper. Roll until the seams are gone and the pastry is fairly thin. My final dimensions were about 9″x15″ (~23cm x 38cm).
- Once the dough is rolled out, cover the dough with:
- Broken up walnuts (not covered, just kind of sprinkled).
- Cover with shredded apples. Don’t add the juices from the shredded apples.
- Sprinkle with plain bread crumbs (this will help to soak up the juices from the apples so they don’t leak as much).
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Sprinkle with raisins (you can soak them in rum; you can also use golden raisins for a sweeter taste).
- Now roll up the dough with the filling inside. Squeeze in the sides of the roll so the filling doesn't fall out.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and put the roll on the prepared baking sheet (you can fit two to a sheet).
- Brush with an egg wash.
- In your preheated oven, bake the apple strudel for about 15 minutes, brush it with your egg wash again, and then put it back in for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. You should have a very flaky crust on the strudel when it is finished.
- Serve with sprinkled icing sugar. You can also serve it with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Make sure you listen to Daniela's episode, Charcuterie Board: A Story of Rejection, Defection, and Redemption while you make her Apple Strudel.
- You can also add a topping to your strudel such as a vanilla sauce, coarse sugar, or fresh whipped cream.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Eastern European, Pies and Pastries
Nutrition
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 39
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
More Eastern European Recipes
More Pastry and Pie Recipes
Look, Flavor, and Texture
Look:
- The puff pastry strudel turns golden brown. Inside are layers of golden cinnamon-laced apples studded with raisins (optional, of course!) and nuts.
Flavor:
- If you're looking for a traditional apple strudel recipe, well, this one doesn't have a lot of surprises! You'll get the classic apple dessert flavors - juicy apples, cinnamon, and a little rum.
Texture:
- Correction - textures, plural!!! The multitude of textures is part of the charm of an old fashioned apple strudel!
- The flaky puff pastry crust encapsulates chunks of apples, bursts of rum-soaked raisins, chewy layers of dough, and little bits of walnut.
Hannah Neeper says
This is one of those recipes that looks intimidating, especially with the thought of having to make homemade pastry, but once I found out that I could use store-bought puff pastry dough I was sold! Delicious!