If you read my last post (Picking Apples in the Outskirts of Berlin), I mentioned that one of the reasons I went apple picking was to make an apfelstrudel from scratch. I got my batch of apples straight from the orchard and picked up the rest of the ingredients from the market down the street.

I followed a woman on YouTube and tried my best to follow her every move. Mine came out far from perfect and nothing like hers, but it was still pretty darn good.
Below is the recipe, I hope you try it.

Austrian Apfelstrudel Recipe
Ingredients
5 green apples 1 red apple
1 cup of flour
1 egg
1 lemon (for zest and 1 tbsp of juice)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
pinch of salt
1 tbsp of oil
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 of bread crumbs
1/4 cup of luke warm water
1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
1 cup of heavy cream
large kitchen towel

Mix the flour, egg, salt, oil, and luke warm water together in a large bowl

Mix the dough with your hands, then knead and hit the dough many times on the table. It’ll be sticky at first but will eventually form together. The Austrians call it pull dough. The goal is to come out with a very elastic dough.

Roll the dough into two balls (one is enough to manage, save the other one for later). Cover the balls with a bit of oil to prevent it from drying out.

Cover them with a bowl or lid rinsed in boiling hot water. This will help with the elasticity of the dough.

As you let the dough rest for half and hour, peel and dice the apples, also dry roast the bread crumbs. There are different ways to cut the apples, in the video she cut them into thin half slices, I went for the easy route and diced them.

Add the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and raisins (optional). My husband doesn’t like raisins so I didn’t add them. Also, if you want to add more sugar to the mix, go for it!

Place the towel on a firm surface, sprinkle some flour on it, and start working the dough. First with the roller and then with your hands.

If you’re an Austrian grandmother, chances are you can easily stretch this baby out far and wide. I on the other hand, was afraid of ripping it (which I did). I tried to stretch it using my fists, it definitely works better than the roller, the gravity helps pull the dough. Do what makes you feel comfortable, the goal is to have a large squared sheet. Mine was way to small, so keep on stretching!

Brush the melted butter onto the sheet.

Add the bread crumbs, some powdered sugar, and the apple mixture to the sheet.

Fold the sides in and begin rolling using the hand towel. I will add a link to the video at the bottom of this post so you can watch how she does it. This part was fun. Brush some more melted butter once it’s rolled up and put in the oven until golden brown. I made this in Germany so had the oven on at 200 C, which is equal to 400 F.

This part wasn’t included in the video, but I had to make some “creme” (whipped cream) since my inspiration came from Inglorious Basterds. All you need is one cup of heavy cream and one tablespoon of sugar. Use your hand mixer to whip it up and that’s it! My husband blended it up for about three minutes.

Once it’s golden brown, take it out of the oven, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, and let it sit for some minutes.

Once you’re ready, cut some pieces, add a generous dollop of creme, and eat your heart out. I hope you enjoy! Remember, it may not come out like an Austrian grandmothers, but with practice and time you’ll get there, at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Here’s the video I used for guidance.