Apple Strudel

Last year I took an apple strudel workshop at Laurel Run Cooking School.  So this fall I decided to go to the nearby orchard, Rex Gees Orchard, when apples were in season and make some strudel.  I had my mom help out (I learned from my perogi making weekend that 2 cooks can be better than 1).

Tools needed:
pastry brush
parchment paper or tea towel to help roll the strudel
damp tea towel or paper towels with plastic wrap to cover fillo
measuring cups and spoons
aluminum foil

Ingredients for one strudel roll:
Four sheets of fillo dough (Athens if available, 1 lb. box (14" x 18' sheets)) (see note at bottom in blue)
1/4 cup sugar (taste apples: if they are very sweet do not use all the sugar, use more if tart)

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs (used to absorb juices...use 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup, depends on juiciness of apples)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)

1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups thin sliced apples (I like to use a variety...this time I used Jonathan, MacIntosh and Granny Smith)
Before you begin:
Assemble all of the ingredients and tools needed. Peel and slice apples and place in a bowl. Melt butter and have warm. Have all ingredients nearby.

To assemble strudels:
Open package of fillo dough onto your work surface. Cover with slightly damp tea towel or paper towels with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.  

Place one leaf of fillo on the parchment paper or tea towel. Gently brush with melted butter (easiest to do the edges first, like a picture frame), sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of bread crumbs. Add another sheet and repeat process, using four sheets total but not buttering the last.

On the last sheet, put approximately 1 ½ - 2 cups of sliced apples onto the pastry's long side (leaving 2 inch border on bottom and 1 inch border on side), mounding it evenly along the lower fourth of the dough.

Sprinkle with ¼ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of bread crumbs and the cinnamon evenly over the apples.  Fold the outside edge of the pastry toward the center, lifting the parchment or towel to help roll.  Roll evenly but not too tightly to allow for expansion/steaming of ingredients when baking. 

To bake immediately:

Place strudel onto a silpat baking mat or a greased backing sheet. Score top of pastry into serving pieces using a share knife. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, and then turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.  Pastry should be golden brown and crispy.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

To freeze strudel:

Cut a piece of foil 3 times the width of the strudel and the correct length. Use a pastry brush and grease the center lengthwise of the foil. Place the strudel on the foil, brush the top with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired and allow strudel to stand long enough to dry the butter. (It will start off shiny and become dull as it hardens.) Wrap securely and freeze. Label and date with directions for baking.  (Good up to 6 months in freezer, but up to 3 months is better)

To bake frozen strudel: unwrap foil around the frozen pastry and place foil and pastry onto a baking sheet.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake an additional 30-35 minutes or until golden.

 Note:

1 package of fillo dough will make 4-5 strudels, depending on whether you use 4 or 5 layers.  To make 5 strudels, you will need: 1 large box fillo, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups plain bread crumbs, 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon, 2 cups butter, 18 cooking apples. 

Note: I could not find the 14"x18" sheets of fillo so I used the 9"x14" sheets and used two sheets per layer (overlapped slightly in the middle).  My strudels were smaller than the ones I made in the cooking class, but just as tasty