Strudel de Maçã

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rolling pin
• •Clean large kitchen towel
• •Baking tray
• •Pastry brush
• •Small pan for toasting crumbs

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the warm water, oil, and vinegar, then stir until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on the counter for 8 to 10 minutes, until it turns smooth, elastic, and no longer tears the second you pull it. This kneading builds the stretch you need later, so don't quit while it still feels rough.

2. 2

   Rest it well

   Shape the dough into a ball, rub it with a little oil, cover it with an upside-down bowl, and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough should feel soft and calm when you press it. Resting relaxes the flour, which is the difference between dough that stretches and dough that snaps back like it has opinions.

3. 3

   Mix the apples

   Toss the sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and raisins. The apples should look glossy and lightly coated, not swimming. Lemon keeps the apples bright and wakes up the sweetness, while cinnamon gives the filling warmth without turning it into perfume.

4. 4

   Toast the crumbs

   Warm 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a small pan and add the breadcrumbs. Stir over medium heat until they turn golden and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. These crumbs are not decoration. They catch the apple juices inside the roll so the pastry bakes crisp instead of soggy.

5. 5

   Stretch the dough

   Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and dust it lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle, then lift it and stretch gently from the middle out with the backs of your hands. Stop when it is thin enough to see the towel pattern through it, trimming any thick edges. Use the backs of your hands because fingertips poke holes, and holes are annoying, not fatal.

   If the dough tears, patch it with a thin scrap and keep going. A tiny tear disappears inside the roll. This is pastry, not a moral test.
6. 6

   Fill and roll

   Brush the stretched dough with melted butter, scatter the toasted crumbs over the lower two-thirds, then spoon the apple filling over the crumbs, leaving a 5 cm border. Fold the short sides in, then use the towel to roll the strudel away from you, snug but not tight. Too tight and the filling has no room to settle; too loose and the slices fall apart.

7. 7

   Bake until crisp

   Move the roll seam-side down onto a lined baking tray. Brush with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden, crisp at the edges, and the apples feel tender when you press the top gently with a spoon.

8. 8

   Rest and slice

   Let the strudel rest for 15 minutes before slicing. It should still feel crisp outside, but the filling needs a minute to settle or it will run out like it paid rent elsewhere. Dust with powdered sugar if you like, slice with a serrated knife, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Chef Tips

• •Use firm apples that smell fresh and feel heavy, not mealy ones that collapse into mush. In Brazil, good apples are usually cheaper around the southern harvest months, from late summer into autumn. Want it in the off-season? Fine. Just choose the firm ones and don't blame the dough for tired fruit.
• •The honest Tuesday shortcut is store-bought phyllo dough. It gives you crisp layers, but not the same tender pull of hand-stretched dough. Use it when life is loud, then learn the real dough when you have an hour.
• •Don't use canned apple filling. That's syrup with fruit pieces having an identity crisis. Slice real apples, add lemon, sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, and you'll have better filling in ten minutes.
• •Fresh breadcrumbs beat dry packaged crumbs here because they drink up juice without turning sandy. Tear yesterday's bread and pulse it, or rub it between your hands. Real food using what you already have.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can rest, covered and lightly oiled, for up to 2 hours at room temperature before stretching.
• •The apples can be sliced and tossed with lemon, sugar, cinnamon, and raisins up to 1 hour ahead. Longer than that and they release too much juice.
• •Baked strudel keeps 2 days at room temperature, loosely covered. Recrisp in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)