Oktoberfest Apple Strudel

I have to admit, this weekend I stepped a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to cooking and baking. I went all out with recipes that I knew would be a challenge for me, but I love a good challenge. Of course, I risked a disastrous failure, but that’s part of the learning process. The slight chill in the air got me thinking of Oktoberfest and apples. So, even though I had only made it once before, I decided to make an apple strudel. Despite all the YouTube videos that make the preparation of this dessert look so easy, believe me working with phyllo dough is no easy undertaking. The dough is tissue thin, rips and tears easily, and must be kept moderately moist, yet not so moist that the dough sticks to the surface you are working on. At one point, I was literally ready to throw in the towel. I mistakenly used a moist tea towel as my work surface, and the first few layers of phyllo dough stuck to the towel, making it impossible to even think about rolling the strudel. With determination, a lot of extra phyllo dough sheets, and a back-up plan, I managed to pull it off. Not exactly the traditional method of making strudel, but it worked, and the final results did not look or taste improvised.



Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
 

In small bowl, pour bourbon, or apple juice, over the raisins. Microwave on high for 25 seconds. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Prep all the ingredients you will need. Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice. Crush the shortbread cookies. Finely chop the pecans. Cut the 2 Tablespoons butter into small pieces. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. 

In large bowl, combine the apple slices, raisins with juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans and butter pieces. Mix well to combine.

There are usually 2 packages phyllo dough in a box. I defrosted one package and returned the other package to the freezer. Melt butter needed for brushing. Remove the phyllo dough from the box, lay out on sheet of wax paper, unfold and cover with moderately damp tea towel. Lay down another sheet of wax paper on the countertop. Place one phyllo sheet on wax paper. Quickly and lightly, brush with melted butter. Top with another phyllo sheet, again brushing quickly and lightly with melted butter. Repeat process with 4 more sheets of phyllo (for a total of 6). Meanwhile, keep the unbuttered phyllo covered with damp cloth (so they don’t dry out and become brittle).

Don't use wet tea towel as base (as I did in above pic) - use wax paper instead. When buttered, phyllo sheets stuck to wet tea towel.

Now here is where my improvising comes into play. When I saw how much apple mixture I had to stuff inside of the buttered phyllo sheets, I knew immediately, that I would probably get 4 strudels out of that batch of apples (if not more). But that would leave a very uneven ratio of pastry dough to apple filling. I didn’t want my strudels to be skimpy on the filling. So, I opted to make “one large,” generously filled strudel. I laid down another sheet of wax paper and starting layering and buttering another 6 phyllo sheets, to put over the top of the filling (which would also eliminate the need for tedious rolling of the dough).

I mounded the apple mixture down the center of the first 6 sheets of phyllo, leaving a good 2-inch border on the sides and ends. I then placed the second 6 sheets of phyllo atop the apple mixture. I tucked under the ends of the strudel and folded up the sides, sealing with a little melted butter. I then flipped the whole strudel onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, to ensure that the seams were on the bottom. Using a sharp knife, I cut strips horizontally across the top of the strudel, brushed down the top of the strudel with melted butter, and sprinkled with the granulated sugar.

I baked it for 40 minutes, until golden brown and apples seemed done when pricked with a knife. I transferred to a cooling rack. While still warm, I sprinkled on a little more cinnamon. When completely cooled, using 2 spatulas, I transferred the strudel to a serving dish and sprinkled with a little confectioners’ sugar. 

Of course, there will be leakage of the juices from the bottom of the strudel while baking. That is to be expected. It may not look so pretty while in the oven, but once transferred to a serving dish, it’s a work of art.

As you can see from the photo below, my struggles paid off. One large flaky strudel, generously filled with apples, raisins and pecans. Mike topped off his slice with a dollop of butter pecan ice cream (see photo at top) and the look on his face said it all…..scrumptious!

OKTOBERFEST APPLE STRUDEL
Source: Adapted from Paula Deen
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup bourbon or apple juice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup crushed shortbread cookies
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans            
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 12 sheets phyllo dough (from a 1-pound package of frozen dough), defrosted per package directions
• 4 to 6 Tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing phyllo sheets
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Caramel sauce or ice cream for serving (optional)

             
DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Pour the bourbon or apple juice over the raisins in a small bowl and microwave on high for 25 seconds
    to plump the raisins. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Combine the raisins, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans,
    and butter in a large bowl.
4. Remove the phyllo dough from the box, unfold, and cover with a damp tea towel. Place 1 sheet of
    phyllo on a wax paper lined work surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Top with another
    phyllo sheet, brushing evenly with melted butter. Repeat process with 4 more sheets of phyllo. Keep
    the unbuttered phyllo covered, so they don't dry out and become brittle. On a separate sheet of wax
    paper repeat procedure with another stack of 6 phyllo sheets (this will be used to top the apple
    mixture).
5. Mound the apple mixture down the center of the phyllo sheets, leaving a 2-inch border on ends and
    sides of phyllo. Cover with another buttered 6 layers of phyllo sheets. Fold up sides and ends of
    strudel. Brush with a little melted butter to seal seams.
6. Flip strudel onto parchment lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut about 6 horizontal strips
    across top of strudel. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
7. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown and apples are soft when pricked with a knife. Cool on wire
    rack. While still warm, sprinkle with cinnamon. When completely cool, using 2 spatulas, transfer to a
    serving dish. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle warm caramel sauce over the strudel, or serve
    with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.