How to make Apple Strudel

I'm going to show you how to make Apple Strudel. Almost everyone in the UK will have seen the Marks and Spencer advert for their apple strudel on television and I think nearly everyone has tried one!

Although I'm not one for desserts I had a go at making it myself. I'm so not into pastry or baking but the result was good and if I can do it, anyone can.

What is Strudel?

A strudel is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet. It became popular in the 18th century throughout the Habsburg Empire. Strudel is part of Austrian cuisine but also common in the other Central European cuisines. Source Wikipedia. 

How to make Apple Strudel

Soak the sultanas in the rum in a very small bowl so the sultanas are more or less covered and put to one side. 

If you can, leave them overnight this would be good, if not as long as possible - at least 2 hours as you really want the sultanas to soak up the rum and get nice and fat.

When you're ready to make the strudel. Put the apples into a bowl along with the sugar and the zest of the lemon and the juice of half the lemon. Drain most of the rum from the sultanas and add to the apples. Stir it to mix nicely.

Now melt the butter in a small saucepan and put it to one side and preheat your oven to 190C/375F or Gas 5

Get yourself organised first! Clear a space on your worktop (making sure it's nice and clean). Lay the greaseproof paper on the baking sheet and brush the paper with melted butter.

Filo pastry tears easily so be careful - lay one oblong sheet out and brush with the melted butter and lay it on the greaseproof paper. Repeat with another sheet - laying it directly on top of the first one.

Now get another sheet - again bush with butter. This time lay it the opposite way - so you have a sort of cross and again repeat so you've now used four sheets and have a cross shape which consists of two layers of pastry laying opposite ways.

Drain the liquid from your apples and sultanas and put them onto the pastry keeping the mixture to the middle in an oblong shape.

If you happen to have too much mixture - discard it (you won't have loads too much just a little if any).  If you try to put too much in your strudel will just ooze everywhere and be a mess.

Bring the two ends on the left and right of the oblong to cover the end of the apple mixture. Bring the top and bottom over in folded pleats.  Don't fuss too much as long as the apple mixture in encased.

Now fold over the top (again in pleats) the other two sheets of pastry the top of the strudel.

Dust with icing sugar and pop into your preheated oven (remember it must be preheated or the timings will be wrong).

Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes before having a look to see if it's nice and golden brown - if it is, insert a sharp knife into one of the folds of pastry so it doesn't show and see if the filling is piping hot.

If not, pop it back in and check again in 5 to 10 minutes time. I'll leave the judgement to you as everyone's oven is different. Serve immediately with ice cream, cream or whatever you fancy.

Apple Strudel with Filo Pastry

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