Dare to Bake - Low Fat Apple Strudel from scratch?



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 CafĂ©s of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
Not as tough as it may seem after the first time,I baked the Strudel 3 times already and each time my friends and family simply loved it.If you can master the subtle rolling and stretching of the dough to a tissue-thin transparency then making this Classic Austrian Pastry can be as easy as baking a pie.Make sure you have ample workspace ,watch professionals roll the pastry here and here . The filling can be varied ,the juicy tart apples ,dried fruits and nuts is the original stuffing of these pastries, make it savory with spicy vegetables.I added Cocoa to the filling for a hint of chocolate flavor.The amount of fat can also be adjusted ,I experimented with brushing both oil or butter.The Olive oil thankfully worked well,one more reason to make this dessert more often.


Use Granny Smith apples for best tasting Apple strudels.
Recipe
Ingredients
For Strudel dough
1 1/3 cups unbleached All Purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

For Green Apple Cocoa Strudel Filling
2 medium Granny Smith Apples,Cored,peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries or cherries
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cocoa powder(optional)
1 tablespoon Brown sugar
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup Walnuts.coarsely chopped

3 tablespoon Olive oil for brushing over the dough

Method
Prepare the Dough
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour and make a soft dough and knead for 2 minutes. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
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).
Prepare the Filling
Mix the raisins,cinnamon ,apple ,walnuts and sugar in a bowl.Heat a tablespoons of oil 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.
Roll the Dough tissue-thin
Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
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.

Brush about 2 tablespoons of the oil 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 dough with the bread crumbs. Spread apple mixture about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip.

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. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining oil.
Bake
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 with any fruit sauce. It is best on the day it is baked.Store in refrigerator for up to a week,if desired warm at 300F oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

To make Raspberry sauce
Cook 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries with 1/2 cup of water until soft,blend to a smooth sauce,I like the crunch from seeds and didn't filter the seeds.Pour over the strudel slice after plating it.

To make Chocolate sauce
Melt 2 ounce of Dark chocolate chopped or chips with 2 tablespoon of whole milk in a double broiler,stir often until smooth and completely melted.Drizzle the warm sauce over the strudel.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yasmeen,
My first comment here - you have a fabulous and healthful collection of recipes here. I love this low-fat version of Apple Struddel. The procedure looks daunting but the strudle looks so good I might actually dare to make it.

Best wishes,
Mamatha
Parita said…
Apple strudel looks deliciously inviting...perfect :)
Yasmeen-this is just amazing!!I would never dream of making it at home-it looks like a fine art and YOU seem to have mastered it!!
Gita Jaishankar said…
The strudel looks awesome Yasmeen! Nice step by step phots...and olive oil instead of butter...great :)
Finla said…
After seeing the sturdel flying in the blogs, i know why i am not a daring baker.
You girls are really daring bakers indeed.
Strudel looks so yummliciious.
Very well done! Your strudel looks really delicious!

Cheers,

Rosa
Jen Yu said…
Love the thin layers you achieved! It looks awesome and congrats on making it into something healthier :)
Sue said…
Your healthier version looks delectable! The sauces sound fabulous:) Yum!
notyet100 said…
ummm looks so yummy,...:-)specially with the raspberry sauce,..
Lisa Turner said…
Wow, that looks wonderful. Great idea to include some cocoa in the mix.
Nandinis food said…
It's both healthy and tasty! Amazing and tempting! It's really classic!
Dori said…
Wowie, that looks so delicious!
Renus Kitchen said…
I just love your blog....u have very good collection of recipes
Varsha Vipins said…
Look at tat dough..Amazing amazing ..!! Kudos to u for mastering this art..am sure I'l end up with dough all over ma body n sticking to hair if ever I dare to attempt this..:D..Strudel is so tempting Ms: Daring baker..!!
Unknown said…
yummy dessert..very tempting..
suvi said…
2 feet...3 feet?!! I cant imagine bing able to do that! This strudel looks awesome, pass me some coz I'm never going to make it!!
Raks said…
That looks stunning! sounds yummy too!
Healthy Strudel....Looks very inviting n just perfect..
The apple strudel looks great and I am sure tastes equally good.
Ria Mathew said…
Yasmeen, You have such a lovely collection of healthy recipes! It's great to see a low fat version!WOW!! Thanks a ton for stopping by my blog and for your lovely comments!! Apple nd cocoa combo? Sounds heavenly! I'm sure it tasted great too! :)
lubnakarim06 said…
Love the taste of green apple.....Strudel looks gr8!
Looks lovely, and love the sauces. This challenge was quite a breeze and tasty too. :)
Indian Khana said…
Wow that's looks wonderful....so gud
Nithya Praveen said…
Awesome looking strudel.I've been reading abt too many strudel's now.I was jes checking Aparna's strudel some time back.Procedure looks daunting,the strudel looks perfect!
Jenny said…
Lovely strudel,I can't dare to make from scratch.I use phyllo to save all the work.
simmi said…
Awesome strudel!guess all the hard work pays off after biting in to the delectable slice.
Anonymous said…
Excellent job, the strudel looks perfect! The raspberry sauce sounds very nice too.
syeda said…
wow yasmeen,I cannot dare to bake this,looks really great!
Chef Jeena said…
Low fat and delicious it looks and sounds amazing Yasmeen.
ARUNA said…
looks fantastic Yasmeen!So healthy n gorgeous!!!
Unknown said…
They look perfect. Great u made it from scratch!
rahin said…
the strudel looks perfect Yasmeen, i did try making it once n was not very happy with the result :) will try ur recipe
anudivya said…
Yasmeen the dough seems so perfect. One would not think it was low fat at all! Great work girl. It is kind of tricky to get that part right.
Lena Jayadev said…
Yasmeen...I love this low-fat version of Apple Struddel.wonderful presentation.. :)
Ivy said…
Well done Yasmeen and the lighter version sounds great.
Sharmila said…
Too good Yasmeen! And you have indeed rolled it tissue thin ... quite a feat I must say. :-)
Foodie said…
Love the luscious color of berries,strudel is one of my favorite desserts.
Peppy said…
From scratch sounds like a daunting task,lazy bug like me uses the store bought phyllo.

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