- Yield
- about 20 servings
Ingredients
- DOUGH
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups high-gluten flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ? cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- FILLING
- 12 Cortland, Granny Smith, Rome, or Golden Delicious apples (about 2
- quarts)*
- 1 cup sugar (depending on the tartness of the apples)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ? to 2/3 cup good apricot, strawberry, or other jam, or orange marmalade
- 3 cups finely ground and dry leftover sweet rolls, challah, or cake
- ? cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees or to its lowest setting and leave the
- 2
door open. Or make sure your kitchen is very warm.
- 3
To make the dough mix 3 cups of the flour, the sugar and the salt on
- 4
a board. Make a well in the four and pour into the well the oil ad the
- 5
water. Mix with a fork and then knead well with your hands,
- 6
sprinkling on more four as necessary until the dough forms a
- 7
workable mass. Roll it back and forth to seal it. Using your hands,
- 8
grasp a fistful of the portion nearest you, then swing your arm and
- 9
slam it down treating the dough as you would a club. As it hits the
- 10
boar the dough will stretch. Keep taking additional fistfuls until the
- 11
dough is pliable and does not show and tears. It should be as
- 12
smooth and elastic as a baby's bottom. Gather the dough together,
- 13
place it in a well-greased ceramic or wooden bowl, cover, and let rest
- 14
in a warm place, either in the oven, which you will turn off now, or a
- 15
warm spot for about 2 to 3 hours. (Although Mrs. Salander does not
- 16
do this, you can also make the dough in a food processor, pulsing it
- 17
until it is as smooth as possible.)
- 18
On a table or other flat surface that is at least 3 feet by 5 feet, spread
- 19
a clean sheet or old tablecloth so that the edges hang slightly over
- 20
the sides. Sprinkle the sheet with flour and roll the dough to form a 9-
- 21
by 13-inch rectangle. Then with your fingers press the dough out as
- 22
thin as possible, trying not to make any tears in the dough.
- 23
(The novice may want to ask a friend to help stretch the dough.)
- 24
Then, using your hands, start stretching from the center, drawing
- 25
your fingers over the entire length of the dough, manipulating it from
- 26
underneath, and gently lifting the dough with your fingertips until
- 27
you can read a newspaper through it. It should be stretched to th
- 28
edge of the 5- by 3-foot surface. When you are finished, the dough
- 29
will cover the entire table's surface. Try to minimize the number of
- 30
holes, but a few won't matter. Pull off any thickened edge of
- 31
unstretched dough. Let dough dry for about 5 minutes.
- 32
Peel and chop the apples. Scatter them along the wide edge of the
- 33
dough in a long mound about 2 to 3 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches
- 34
high, leaving about a two-inch border of dough. Sprinkle the apples
- 35
with the sugar and cinnamon; drop dollops of jam over the apples.
- 36
Sprinkle the cake crumbs over the rest of the dough-this will keep the
- 37
layers separate-and drizzle the oil over the same stretched dough.
- 38
Taking hold of the sheet on the 5-foot side, lift the sheet up and over
- 39
the apples to start rolling up the dough jelly-roll style. When
- 40
completely rolled, roll the strudel back and forth gently to seal. It will
- 41
be about 3 inches in diameter. Take a little oil in your hands and rub
- 42
on the top and sides of the strudel.
- 43
Place a greased jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet next to the strudel.
- 44
Using your hands, gently lift one half of the strudel on the sheet or
- 45
pan and then carefully transfer the rest onto the cookie sheet. You
- 46
many have to form the pastry into a large crescent or spiral or you
- 47
may have to use 2 cookie sheets and break the strudel in half. If you
- 48
break it in half make sure to seal the ends. (If desired, you can freeze
- 49
the strudel at this point.)
- 50
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven on the top rack of the oven for
- 51
45 minutes or until golden. If the strudel begins to brown too
- 52
quickly, lower the heat.
- 53
Remove from the oven an immediately brush the strudel with the
- 54
apple juices surrounding it. Let it rest on the cookie sheet until
- 55
lukewarm. Slice and serve.