Apple Strudel

So I did it.  I finally made apple strudels with my sweet neighbor Mrs. M.  She is the same one that made me a strudel shortly after the boys were born.  I don’t remember much about those first few days as I was in a baby haze, but I remembered her perfect strudel.  DT has been begging me every since to learn to make them.  So I did, or we did last weekend.  I was worried that it would be a difficult undertaking, but I am happy to report it really couldn’t be any easier.  In fact much easier than my previous strudel making experience here if your interested.  Mrs. M was so sweet and I think even loved showing me how to make them.  She makes lots of them every year for her family and friends and is super generous in sharing this recipe with me, and me (with her permission) sharing it with you.  This is the kind of recipe that you might think, oh it takes to long or it won’t turn out.  But I promise it is so much easier than I ever thought,  the dough was super simple, easy to roll out, and the toppings you can add or omit what ever floats your boat.  Please join me and Mrs. M in showing you how to make her melt in your mouth apple strudels.

This recipe makes 3 strudels and is a 2 day process.  On day 1 you simply make the dough.

Ingredients: 3/4 stick of margarine, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg yolk, and 1 1/2 cups flour

Melt margarine and milk together in small sauce pan

then separate the egg yolk

and quickly add to the warm milk mixture and beat quickly until fully incorporated.

set the milk mixture aside to cool a bit

then measure in the flour

and mix until the dough reaches the right consistency

and comes together

then flour a small work surface

roll the dough out slightly into a tube

and cut into 3 equal pieces

roll each piece into a ball

and place them in a lidded container in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day make sure you have clean short fingernails, and it’s times to get started on some strudel making.

*I cut off all my nails, I was very serious about this, I love my nails*

Ingredients: 1 stick melted margarine, Apples, (delicious) 6 depending on size, golden raisins, sweetened shredded coconut, candied cherries (optional), vanilla wafers (crushed), chopped pecans (optional), sugar, cinnamon

Go ahead and set up the work space with all the ingredients, rolling pin, box cheese grater and flour for rolling. In a small sauce pan, melt the margarine.

Then take one of the dough pieces and begin rolling

roll into a oblong retangular shape, and be sure to get the dough evenly thin, but not too thin

Mrs. M doesn’t like her dough to thin, because  it needs some thickness to hold in all the goodies and doesn’t tear when rolling.

Once the dough is rolled out sprinkle about 1/3 of the cookie crumbs over the dough, leaving about 1 inch from the sides

Then peel your apples and use the box grater to cut the pieces (I thought this was a genius idea)

get a even layer of apples

then sprinkle on top some cinnamon

and some golden raisin , go ahead and use as much as you would like.

then sprinkle on the shredded coconut

and about 1/3 cup of sugar, spreading evenly over the strudel

then pour spoonfuls of melted margarine all over the dough, using about 1/3 of the stick

Isn’t she beautiful?

Now is the fun part, rolling.

Start at the long end and begin slowly rolling,

tuck the edges as you go

We moved the strudel close the the edge and just rolled it off onto the cookie sheet.

Your probably wondering did you do anything except take pictures?  But I sure did, I made the next two strudels, and it was a delight to work with the super easy dough, and we made all 3 in less than 1 hour.  It was so fast.

Here’s some of my handy work, the one on the left was my first, and the one of the right was my second, so I definitely improved from my first.  As Mrs. M says the last one is the best because you use up all the ingredients, so it usually has more, as your can see, it is slightly bulky.

These 2 went straight into the freezer for about 3 hours, then I removed them and wrapped them in foil.  Mrs. M suggests doing this beacuase if you try to wrap them now it would be a huge mess.  Also if you leave them uncovered for too long in the freezer they crack.  Once they are frozen and your ready to bake them, just remove the foil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Here is Mrs. M with our masterpieces.

So when I get home DT couldn’t wait for me to bake one.   So I had to obliged him.

I baked it at 350 for about 30-35 minutes

DT was in heaven, and in no time flat we’d eaten the whole thing.

the dough was perfect, slightly crunchy, and chewy.  And the filling was to die for.  This one we used some candied cherries.

Words almost can’t explain the taste, its truly something you must experience and pure comfort food.

Even little W knew what was good!

Print This Recipe

Mrs. M Apple Strudel

Dough:

1/2 cup milk
3/4 stick margarine
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour

Heat to melt margarine and milk, then whip in egg yolk until incorporated.  Let mixture cool.  Then add flour and slowly mix ingredients.  Add more flour if needed.  Then cut dough into 3 equal parts, and refrigerate dough overnight.

Filling:

1 stick melted margarine
Apples, delicious  6 depending on size
golden raisins
sweetened shredded coconut
candied cherries (optional)
vanilla wafers (crushed)
chopped pecans (optional)
sugar
cinnamon

Remove dough from refrigerator, and flour work surface.  Roll dough out into a large rectangle, till dough is thin, but not too thin.  Then sprinkle on a layer of crushed wafers, just use about 1/3 of the crushed wafers.  Next with your cheese grater grate 1-2 apples over the dough,evenly spread out.  Sprinkle on Cinnamon, raisins, coconut, using however much you’d like, just eye ball it.  Sprinkle on about 1/3 cup sugar, and spoon melted margarine over using about 1/3 of the amount.  Then sprinkle on pecans.  Slowly tuck sides and roll.  Then bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Or place in freezer for a few hours, remove then wrap in foil and refreeze, then to use remove from freezer and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.