Rita’s version of the family strudel with a hand-stretched dough and lemon-accented apple filling.

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 3/4 cup melted Crisco, butter flavored

Liquid:

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 2 beaten eggs

Filling:

  • 12-15 large Granny Smith apples, or 20 medium (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
  • 1/2 butter, melted to spread on dough
  • 2 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 Tbsp bread crumbs
  • 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (optional)
  • 2-4 Tbsp flour
  • Optional: raisins or nuts

Steps

  1. Mix dough dry ingredients together till like pie crust dough.
  2. Mix liquid ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Add dough dry ingredients and liquid ingredients together and mix well by hand.
  4. Roll dough out on a flat surface (no flouring) and knead for approx. 10 min until dough is smooth and rubbery.
  5. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with saran wrap and towel, and let rest in warm place for 30 min.
  6. Cut and slice apples and hold.
  7. Roll out dough on floured sheet until very thin (can pull and stretch this also) almost transparent.
  8. Spread melted butter (1 stick) over dough, avoiding buttering 1 inch from top 1/3 edge of dough, and put egg wash on this 1".
  9. Mix cinnamon mixture (cinnamon, sugar, bread crumbs, lemon peel, flour) with the apples.
  10. Spread apple filling evenly (single layer of apples) over the dough, avoiding 1 inch from edges.
  11. Starting at one end of dough, roll very tightly, pulling dough thinly towards you, to opposite end of dough.
  12. Seal top edge with egg wash if needed.
  13. Place roll in a circular manner on a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  14. Rub the finished roll down with a mixture of melted butter and egg prior to baking, then brush with melted butter after it comes out of the oven.
  15. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake 15 min, then turn oven down to 350 degrees for 45-50 min (until golden brown and filling is bubbly).
  16. Cool completely.
  17. Serve sliced strudel with a dusting of powered sugar and Crème Franche.