Austria · Sweet Dishes · Vegetarian

Viennese Apple Strudel

Name: Viennese Apple Strudel
Prep time: 32 min
Cook time: 73 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 250 g flour; 1 egg; 50 g melted butter; 100 ml warm water; pinch salt; 600 g sweet and sour apples, peeled and thinly sliced; 100 g sugar; 100 g raisins; 50 g breadcrumbs or ground biscuits; 60 g melted butter; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; powdered sugar for dusting

Viennese strudel is one of the most famous Austrian desserts and a symbol of Austrian cuisine — a paper-thin pastry filled with spiced apples, raisins and cinnamon.

105 min 190 kcal 8 serves Advanced🌿Vegetarian🇦🇹Austria★★★★★4.5· 4 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

250 gflour
1 egg
50 gmelted butter
100 mlwarm water
pinchsalt
600 gsweet and sour apples, peeled and thinly sliced
100 gsugar
100 graisins
50 gbreadcrumbs or ground biscuits
60 gmelted butter
1 tspground cinnamon
powdered sugar for dusting

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“The soul of Viennese apple strudel is in the dough, which must be stretched so thin you can read a newspaper through it — this isn't an exaggeration, it's the literal test Austrian bakers use. The dough needs at least 30 minutes of resting after kneading to let the gluten relax, otherwise it springs back and tears. Work on a large floured cloth (a clean tablecloth works perfectly), stretching from the center outward with the backs of your hands. The filling is simple: tart apples (Granny Smith or Braeburn), breadcrumbs toasted in butter until golden, raisins soaked in rum, cinnamon, and a touch of lemon zest. Roll up using the cloth to help, brush with melted butter, and bake until the pastry is shatteringly crisp.”

Use bread flour (higher protein) for the dough — it develops more gluten and stretches further without tearing. The rested dough should be warm and silky. If using store-bought phyllo as a shortcut, brush each sheet generously with butter.

Method

Mix flour, egg, melted butter, warm water and a pinch of salt. Knead into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover with cling film and let rest for 30 minutes.
Peel and core apples, slice thinly. Mix with sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. Add breadcrumbs or ground biscuits to absorb excess moisture.
On a floured surface, roll out dough into a large thin rectangle. Spread filling along one edge, leaving small borders. Drizzle with melted butter. Roll the dough into a log from the filled side.
Transfer to a buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush surface with melted butter. Bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Cool slightly, then dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FAQ

Tearing means the dough needs more resting time or was rolled too quickly. After kneading, wrap the dough in film and rest it for at least 30 minutes at room temperature — the gluten relaxes and the dough becomes elastic. Stretch it on a floured cloth using the backs of your hands, not your fingers, moving from the center outward. Tears can be patched — the layered strudel will hide them.

Share this recipe ★★★★★4.5

Rate this

Rate this recipe

Keep browsing

More dishes from the Austrian archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.

Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes · Austria

Baked Eggplant with Meat and Cheese

Sweet Dishes · France

Blancmange

Sweet Dishes · USA

Cheesecake

Join the conversation

Comments (1)

Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
Oven thermometers don't lie — your oven dial probably does. I discovered my oven runs 15°C hot, which explained years of slightly overbaked results. For viennese apple strudel, the actual 180°C matters more than the dial position.