Apple Strudel
 
Ingredients
For the dough:
  • ⅓ cup lukewarm water
  • 4 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup +2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, spoon and level method
For the filling:
  • 3 Granny Smith Apples (1.3 lbs), cut up into small chunks
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the Dough:
  1. Mix the water, 3½ teaspoons of oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl.
  2. Stir in about half of the flour or until it comes together enough that you can work it with your hands.
  3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Gradually use the remaining flour if the dough is sticking to your work surface but try not to add more than is necessary to keep it from sticking. The goal is to use as little flour as possible, so you may not use all of the flour. The dough should feel like fresh sticky putty.
  4. Put the dough ball in a bowl and roll it around in the remaining ½ teaspoon of oil.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
For the Filling:
  1. Mix the cut up apples, sugar, and cinnamon together and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
For Assembly:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Lightly flour a clean towel that is at least 18 x 24 in.*
  3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13 x 15 in. rectangle.
  4. Now pick up the dough. With the back of your hands, move around the edges of the dough letting the weight of the dough stretch it out.
  5. Once it is getting hard to handle put it down on the lightly floured towel.
  6. Continue stretching the dough into a rectangle. You want the dough to be so thin that you could read something under it. The shorter end of the dough should be the length of your baking sheet.
  7. Once the dough is thin enough, pull the apple filling out of the juices using a slotted spoon. Put the apples in a strip along the shorter end of the dough. Brush the dough not covered in apples with the melted butter but don't use all of the melted butter.
  8. Fold the side ends of the dough to cover just about an inch or two of the apple filling.
  9. Using the towel and starting at the apple side, gently roll the dough into a log shape.
  10. Gently roll the strudel onto a piece of parchment paper with the seam side down. Using the parchment paper lift the strudel onto a baking sheet.
  11. Brush the entire log with the rest of the butter.
  12. Bake the strudel for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
  13. Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
  14. Dust with powdered sugar.
  15. Cut into slices.
  16. Voilà!
Notes
*Use any towel that is smooth, so not a towel with a waffle weave.
Recipe by Birch Tree Baking at https://www.birchtreebaking.com/apple-strudel/