Easy Apple Strudel With Puff Pastry

Why You Will Love This Apple Strudel With Puff Pastry

• This recipe is easy and thanks to the puff pastry, only minimum prep is needed.
• This dessert can be made in advance and is great for crowds, sharing platters and lunch boxes. It is one of my mum’s most popular recipes for guests.
• The apple strudel is crispy on the outside, but full of juicy fillings.
• It is a fantastic way to celebrate apples – and perfect for fall and winter.

• Puff pastry – save yourself a lot of time by using ready-made puff pastry in a roll or a block. For best results, keep it refrigerated until you prepare all remaining ingredients in the recipe. Use full-fat or light puff pastry. I have tested them both and either of them works in this recipe.
• Apples are just in season, and almost every variety of apples works in this recipe. Preferably, use sweeter types of apples. If in doubt, taste the apples before using and add more sugar if they taste a bit sour. Keep the skin on to add more nutritional value to this apple bake.
• Raisins also add sweetness to this dessert. Be generous with them.
• Walnuts provide an extra crunch in the middle.
• Ground cinnamon and sugar add delicious taste to the apple filling. Use golden caster sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar.
• Unsalted butter is added to help bind the strudel together when it’s being rolled.
• Breadcrumbs help soak up excess moisture from the apples. Just a small amount goes a long way.
• Beaten free-range egg is used just before baking to add the beautiful golden-brown glaze on top of the flaky pastry.
• Plain (all-purpose) flour for dusting and rolling.

For exact measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card below this post.

Substitutes & Variations

Missing some of the ingredients? Don’t worry, here is a list of items that can be used instead:

• Pears are in the same fruit family and make a great substitute for apples in this recipe, as they have very similar texture.
• Sultanas are a good swap for raisins.
• Hazelnuts, almonds, or pecan nuts on top of the flaky pastry will work in this recipe instead of walnuts.
• Add margarine or baking fat to replace butter.
• Melted butter will also give the brown glaze like an egg.

All swap ratios are in the recipe card at the end of this article.

How To Make Apple Strudel With Puff Pastry

This quick strudel recipe is ready in several easy steps:

1. Take the puff pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven. Line a baking tray.
2. Grate the apples and prepare other ingredients.
3. Roll out the pastry and cut in two halves. Roll out each half on a dusted surface until about 1-1.5mm thick.
4. Keep the pastry flat, and top each half with grated apples, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, breadcrumbs and butter.
5. Roll each of the pastries inwards (on the longer side). Bend and fold the corners inwards and transfer onto a baking tray.
6. Brush with beaten egg, pierce in several spots with a fork or a knife and bake for 50-55 minutes.
7. Serve as it is or with vanilla ice cream.

Top Tips

• Preheat your oven. Hot oven makes baking easy – the strudel will be baked evenly and throughout.
• Squeeze the apples as much as you can before adding them to the strudel to release excess water from them. Otherwise, your strudel will sit in a puddle of water after baking. The remaining juice in the bowl is 100% apple juice, full of vitamins and minerals - drink it! 🙂
• Use a baking sheet (paper or silicone) to prevent the strudel from sticking to the bottom of the baking tray. If you don’t have any of these, grease your baking tray with some extra butter instead.
• Don’t forget to pierce the strudel with a fork or a knife – this helps the steam to escape.
• Do not open the oven door during baking, as the strudel may collapse. Only check the pie is baked at the very end of the baking time.

Storage & Reheating

This easy puff pastry strudel will keep fresh for up to 2 days. Store it in an airtight food container (or covered) at room temperature. If you keep in the fridge, you may extend its shelf life by an extra day.

Can You Freeze Apple Strudel?

I wouldn’t recommend freezing baked apple strudel, as it will lose its crispy texture and will become wet and moist once defrosted.

You can freeze raw apple strudel. Assemble it according to the below recipe, skip the egg wash, carefully place it in a freezer bag or freezer-safe food container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake it straight from frozen at 200C/180C (fan)/356F for 55-65 mins.

Can You Reheat Cooked Apple Strudel?

You totally can! The best is to reheat the cooked apple strudel in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 180C/356F for about 8-10 minutes.

If you are worried about the top getting burned (or simply too dark), you can cover the strudel after 5 minutes of baking, and extend the reheating time to 13-15 minutes. Do not reheat again.

FAQs

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