This apple strudel recipe is simplified by the use of pre-made frozen puff pastry! A golden crisp crust filled with delicious cinnamon sugar, tangy apples, with optional sliced almonds and golden raisins. Perfect with a glass of mulled wine.

Is this a traditional Viennese apple strudel recipe?

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t the case. It’s also not the classic German apple strudel recipe.

There are numerous methods to make strudel, and as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter if you make it the traditional Viennese manner or not; we’re trying for a simple recipe, not a reproduction of the one your Austrian great grandmother used to make.

Don’t get me wrong: a genuine, authentic apple strudel is fantastic. Nonetheless, we were aiming for faster and easier, so we took some shortcuts.

What kind of apples are best for apple strudel?

The aim in selecting apples for strudel is to utilize an apple (or a combination of apples) that can withstand baking since not all apples can!

When I make apple strudel, I like to use a variety of apples. A blend of acidic and sweet apples, ideally, will provide a nice taste profile with a little diversity in each mouthful.

• Granny Smith apples are crisp and withstand baking nicely.
• My refrigerator is usually stocked with Honeycrisp apples! They’re fantastic for nibbling due to their hard, crisp texture, but they’re also ideal for baking due to their durability and sweet taste.
• Pink Lady apples are also excellent snacking apples since they are crisp and have a fantastic balance of sweet and acidic tastes.
• Braeburn apples are often available; they are crisp, flavorful, and hold up nicely to baking without becoming mushy.
• Gala and Golden Delicious apples are also very common, have milder tastes, and hold up well in the oven.

Ingredients for apple strudel

• Puff pastry sheet: We used this as a convenience instead of creating our strudel dough from scratch. It should be cool but not frozen.
• Apples are the show’s star!
• Lemon juice: We toss the apples with lemon juice to keep them from browning while we prepare the rest of the ingredients. It also gives the dish a lovely bright taste.
• Optional golden raisins: I grew up always adding raisins to my apple strudel.
• Almonds are optional, although they provide a lovely crunch.
• Granulated sugar: We coat the apples with sugar before baking to enhance sweetness and help them caramelize.
• Grinding cinnamon and ground nutmeg: Aromatic spices.
• To help thicken the mixture, use all-purpose flour.
• To give the strudel a gorgeous golden shine, we whisk an egg and brush it on top before it goes into the oven. Can’t eat eggs? Instead, smear some melted butter on top.
• Raw sugar or sparkling sugar: To serve as a garnish! Optional, but recommended.

Why add lemon juice to the apple filling?

Thanks to my secret ingredient lemon juice, the cinnamon sugar mixture that envelops the sliced apples is equal parts sour and sweet.

As you’re preparing everything else, cover your apples in freshly squeezed lemon juice to keep them from browning. It adds just the right amount of zing to balance off the rest of the pastry.

Do you have to add almonds and raisins to the apple mixture?

Nope! I want to urge you to make this again and again, trying something different each time.

• If I don’t have them, I leave out the raisins.
• I sometimes substitute slivered almonds for sliced almonds.
• I sometimes add raisins that have been steeped in brandy (ohhhhhh yeah)
• Try substituting crushed walnuts with the almonds.
• Unless you’re feeling very nutty (GET IT?!) omit the nuts entirely.

Nuts provide a little additional crunch, which I like on occasion. Sometimes I skip the nuts entirely and rely only on the cinnamon sugar filling. Those are the days when I have completely forgotten about my health and devour the whole pastry by myself.

People, this is why you slice stuff. If you leave it entire on your counter, you could simply consume it like a sugar-coated sub sandwich on your sofa.

What pastry is apple strudel made from?

To be quite honest, we are not creating this apple strudel in the usual method.

A typical apple strudel dough is significantly more elastic than the frozen pre-made puff pastry I ask for in this recipe.

The classic apple strudel pastry dough recipe calls for gluten-rich flour, water, oil, and salt. My goal with this recipe was to make apple strudel accessible, achievable, and simple enough for a novice baker.

Therefore, worry not, I’m allowing you to use prepared puff pastry for this to save yourself some time and sanity. It’ll be tasty, and that’s all that counts in the end!

Tricks and tips for transferring freshly baked apple strudel to wire rack

Unless you have a monster-sized spatula, it may be difficult to transfer the heated strudel from the baking pan to a wire rack. There are many options:

• If you used a nonstick silicon mat, release the sides and bottom of the strudel using a spatula, then take up the mat, transfer it over to the wire rack, and gently slide the strudel onto the rack.
• If you used parchment paper, use the same procedure as described above!
• You may alternatively pull it up and transfer it to the rack using two spatulas on opposing sides, one on the top half and one on the bottom half.

How to store apple strudel

The trouble with apple strudel is that it doesn’t last long. In the sense that you may destroy it on the same day and there will be no leftovers, as well as that it does not last long.

• You may keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, wrapped with foil or plastic wrap.
• You may also keep it in the fridge in an airtight jar for another 2-3 days. Try to keep it on the lowest shelf, where it will be the coolest, since baked strudel becomes mushy over time.

Can I freeze apple strudel?

You certainly can! The secret is to freeze it before baking it.

You will do everything up until the point where you would normally do the egg wash, and then you will wrap it in parchment paper, put it in a freezer-safe bag or container, and set it in the freezer.

When you’re ready to bake it, thaw it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1 hour; it may take less time if your kitchen is very warm.

How do you reheat apple strudel?

Preheat the oven to 200°F and bake the strudel for approximately 15 minutes on a baking sheet.

You may also reheat it in the microwave for around 30 seconds, but the oven will provide much superior results!

First published in October 2015, this edition will be reissued in August 2021 with fresh images and additional useful information.