Apple Strudel à La Sacher

• strudel pastry dough (see my recipe) or 1 ready-made pastry dough1
• kg apples↗1 1⁄2
• lemon (juice)↗1
• g raisins (soaked in rum)↗60
• g butter, melted↗200
• g sugar↗100
• tablespoons sugar↗2
• g breadcrumbs↗100
• pinch cinnamon↗1
• butter (for coating)↗
• icing sugar (for dusting)↗
• egg (for coating)↗1
• For Pastry
• g flour (preferably pastry flour)↗250
• pinch salt↗1
• tablespoon oil1
• tablespoons butter, melted for coating↗2
• ml water, lukewarm↗125
• egg yolks (for coating)↗2
• icing sugar (for dusting)↗
• oil
• flour (for the work surface)↗
• butter (for coating)↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Peel and seed the apples. Slice into very thin slices. Dribble over some lemon juice.

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of raisins and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

3. 3

   Brush the pastry dough with half of the melted butter, using the rest of the butter to fry the breadcrumbs. Combine the crumbs with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the pastry.

4. 4

   Distribute the apples evenly over the pastry. Roll with the help of a dish towel. Make sure the ends are well closed.

5. 5

   Place the strudel on a greased baking tray. (If the tray is too small, bend the strudel into a horseshoe shape). Brush with the beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30–40 minutes, occasionally brushing with melted butter.

6. 6

   When done, let the strudel cool, and dust with icing sugar. The strudel can be served either warm or cold.

7. 7

   For the pastry, heap some flour onto a work surface and knead the pastry ingredients into a smooth, elastic dough.

8. 8

   Shape into a ball and place in a soup bowl dribbled with oil. Cover, and refrigerate, preferably over night.

9. 9

   On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough into a square with a rolling pin. Pull until very thin. To do this, make sure your hands are covered in flour, place one hand under the dough and use the other hand to carefully pull the dough out from the center. The dough should become so thin that it’s almost transparent.