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.
It's time again for this month's Daring Baker's challenge, and this time we're on time, completed and have some photos to boot! Whilst I didn't fail to complete last month's challenge, the powers that be at BT conspired against me and took out our broadband connection on the submission date... Argh!
This month's challenge was an apple strudel, and not just the filling but making proper strudel dough pastry too. A little nerve-racking in my case, as it's been years and years since I last made pastry, in fact I haven't made pastry on my own before, only with the supervision of my Granny. To say that thoughts ofshop brought ready-to-roll pastry didn't go round my head for a day or so would be a lie, it seemed an easy way out but the angel on the other shoulder gave me the encouragement to do it all myself, as at the end of the day, that's what the challenges are all about, learning and developing of skills and broadening our baking repertoire! So for me, the big challenge this month was to make my own pastry dough...
I decided to stay with the traditional apple filling; the German within me says that the only way to enjoy strudel is with apple and plenty of cinnamon, and I knew my gusts were fond of apple strudel too! There were a couple of things that I decided to leave out of the recipe, namely the walnuts. I've a bit of a nut allergy, not a major one, but one that means that were possible I avoid nuts and do not add them into my baking. So instead of the walnuts I doubled up the rum-soaked raisins. I was a little concerned that too many rum-soaked raisins may have been an overload but the tasted so good and the rum didn't take over, and it was well balanced with the other flavours of the apple and cinnamon.I also left out the breadcrumbs, not for any other reason than I completely forgot about them when I was working through the recipe and by the time I got to them it was chaotic in my kitchen and I didn't have chance to do them. Next time however I'll put them in.
The only thing that I did add to the recipe was a sprinkling of spiced sugar over the top of the strudel to caramelise as it baked in the oven. I had blended up some spiced sugar for using at Christmas, and it has been sat in the cupboard for a couple of months, as I wondered if I'd have a chance to use it before Christmas comes round again. Just before I put the strudel in the oven I remembered the sugar and gave the top a liberal sprinkling.
I must admint that I was very happy with the results! The smell of the cooking apple and cinnamon was beautiful and a friend said the smell of the sugar reminded her of Christmas (in May.. hehe!) I think the strudel looked fantastic, I was so pleased with my first proper attempt at pastry, it looked so nice, just like strudel I used to eat at my German Nanna's. I think the downful came when I'd baked the strudel first off in the afternoon, and then reheated it later on in the evening, for about another 15 minutes, so it was nice and warm. I think that we'd have been better to not have reheated it for too long, or to have eaten it cold, so that we'd got that lovely soft and slightly soggy strudel pastry. Unfortunately, it was a little bit too crusty! As far as taste was concerned the reactions from my guests were all positive, especially for the boozy rum-soaked raisins, and the apple was cooked perfectly. Overall, the strudel was nice, but next time I think I'll keep more of an eye on my pastry so it isn't over done.
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
What You'll Need
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)
What You'll Need to Do
Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.
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.
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.
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.
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
What You'll Need
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
What You'll Need to Do
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.
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).
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.
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.
Tips
Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of
the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the
dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should
you can use the second batch to give it another try.
The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster.
Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves.
To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table.
Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.
Both Courtney and Linda did a trial run on making the strudel.
Courtney's Notes
She could't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more
like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless.
She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable.
She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.
Linda's Notes
Linda made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry
ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you
would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a
standmixer so don't know how it compares.
Instead of cider vinegar Linda used red wine vinegar
Linda used bread flour
Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for Linda, holes
appeared pretty much instantly. Instead Linda stretched the dough while it
was lying on the tablecloth by putting her hands underneath and
stretching it out further and further
Here's a link to a strudelmaking video that might help you a bit.