Strudel is a golden brown crusty pastry usually stuffed with a sweet filling. It originated from Austrian cuisine but has now become a prominent part of the central European cuisine. It is normally served with whipped cream.
Traditionally, the dough of the strudel is kneaded until it becomes highly elastic. It is said that a purist cook working for the Austrian emperor ordered that the dough should be so thin and stretchy that one should be able to read a love letter through it!
2 puff pastry sheet
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
4 apple
1 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking dish with parchment paper and baking sheet. For the filling, wash the apples and pat dry them. Next, peel and shred one apple in a bowl.
Slice the remaining apples in another bowl. Take a large mixing bowl and add sliced and shredded apples in it along with raisins and brown sugar. Toss well and set aside.
Put the puff pastry on baking sheet and spread the apple filling in the middle of the pastry sheet along the length. Fold it lengthwise around the filling and press the edges to seal. This works better with slightly wet fingers.
Make an egg wash by mixing the milk and egg. Brush the top of the pastry with this mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the colour turns to a nice golden brown.
You can store the Strudel at room temperature for 2 days and refrigerator for 2-3 days. Keep it covered with plastic or foil wrap all the while it is not being consumed for prolonged freshness. Serve it with a scoop of ice cream and dried raisins to accentuate the taste.