One World One City: Recipe for Austrian Apple Strudel

Austrian Apple Strudel - Franz Hoefler

Strudel Dough
300 g all purpose flour
160ml luke warm water
30ml vegetable oil
pinch of salt

Apple Filling
3kg apples
350g butter
25g cinnamon (and some to sprinkle)
250g bread crumbs
300g sugar (vanilla-white sugar or brown sugar)
zest of lemon
juice of one lemon
30ml rum
100g raisins
100g butter

melted butter
1 egg yolk

To make the dough:

Sift flour into a stainless steel bowl, add warm water and oil, add pinch of salt.

Dough can be made in the cuisine art but whatever you do, it has to be made well, without seems, meaning it needs to be kneaded well. If you do not use a cuisine art, mixing the dough by hand is best.

Once well kneaded, form into a smooth ball, cover with oil and wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 1/2 hour to 1 hour, but could be left over night.

To make apple filling:

To filling is best when marinated. Raisins should be marinated in the rum.
Peel and cut apples into small segments. Add lemon zest and juice of one lemon. Add marinated rum raisins. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Roast the breadcrumbs in a frying pan with butter, add cinnamon and sugar.

To make the strudel:

1. Flour a table cloth or other flat cloth. Roll out strudel dough carefully to prevent the dough from ripping. Gently roll and pull the dough with your hand to make it thin (thin enough to read through - if needed, use a small knife to cut off thicker pieces around the very edge of the dough).
2. Brush dough with butter. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over 1/3 of dough, as well as apple filling. Carefully roll up strudel, using table cloth to help.
3. Once rolled brush the top of the strudel with melted butter and with the egg yolk.
4. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown.

Should be eaten warm and dusted with icing sugar.

*Note: Phyllo dough can be used in place of the strudel dough

Vanilla Sauce

480ml milk
480ml heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (can be replaced with one tbsp vanilla extract)
240g sugar
270g egg yolks

1. Whip egg yolks and half of the sugar, in a stainless steel bowl, until creamy.

2. Heat the milk, cream, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and half the sugar until the mixture reaches the boiling point. Remove from the heat.

3. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and sugar, stirring constantly. (Be careful not to scramble eggs.)

4. Heat a pot of water to boil. Place stainless steel bowl on top and stir constantly, heat mixture slowly to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or until mixture coats the spoon nicely.)

5. Remove cream immediately from the stove and strain through a conical sieve, directly into a container set on an ice bath, or cold water bath, and stir until cold.