This authentic German apple strudel is based on my great-grandma's recipe with alternating layers of juicy apples + flaky pastry. And while making homemade strudel dough may seem intimidating, I have included tons of helpful tips for this foolproof & impressive dessert!
Oma's Cherished Apple Strudel Recipe
My Grandpa grew up with his mom making apple strudel from scratch, and his love of authentic German apple strudel never diminished. While growing up in Germany, my Grandpa would tell me stories about how his mom would roll out the dough so thin that it would cover their entire wooden dining table! And any time he was at a restaurant or bakery, he’d order apple strudel, but end up disappointed. He'd lament, “this isn’t Apfelstrudel! This is apple pie, gosh darn it!”
Most apple strudel found in the U.S. is really just pie crust or puff pastry filled with apple pie filling. However, traditional German Apfelstrudel is made from thin, flaky layers of dough (called Strudelteig) mixed with paper-thin apples, raisins, and nuts.
Making Strudelteig from Scratch
While making dough so thin that you could read a newspaper through it may sound intimidating, don’t worry! The dough is super stretchy, and I have lots of tips below for working with it after multiple recipe tests in my kitchen, so keep reading!
But if you really don't want to make the dough from scratch, I get it. We listen & we don't judge. You can totally substitute store bought phyllo dough, which I use as a shortcut to make my mini apple strudel, fresh strawberry strudel, and sweet cheese strudel.
Notes on Essential Ingredients and Substitutions
Dough
- All purpose flour - Creates a stretchy dough. Using heartier types of flour like wheat flour will create dough more likely to tear when stretching and shaping the strudel.
- Salt - I recommend using table salt or fine sea salt to best distribute into the dough.
- Vegetable oil - The higher fat content in vegetable oil compared to butter keeps the dough moist and soft, so it's less likely to tear when stretching it out.
- Water - You want to use warm water, around 105°F to 115°F, which helps enhance gluten formation, which will keep your dough stretchy and less likely to tear.
- Powdered sugar - This topping adds a necessary layer of sweetness, and covers any imperfections in your baked strudel dough.
Filling
- Raisins - Soak the raisins first, so they can plump up and provide bursts of fruity sweet flavor.
- Apples - I recommend using Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Jonagold since these varieties hold their shape in the oven and won't become too mushy once baked.
- Lemon juice - Prevents the apples from turning brown when they’re exposed to oxygen.
- Granulated sugar - Sweetens the filling. I don't recommend using brown sugar, which could add excess moisture.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg - Add warm, spiced flavor that taste delicious with apples.
- Unsalted butter - Adds a rich flavor, and makes the pastry flaky and crispy.
- Panko or unseasoned bread crumbs - Helps soak up excess moisture so the pastry doesn’t become soggy.
Let's Make Oma's German Apple Strudel!
For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Soak raisins in hot water.
3. Mix in oil & water until it forms a shaggy dough.
5. Form the dough into a ball and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Mix in the drained raisins, apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
9. Gently stretch the dough to get it thin enough to see the pattern of your tablecloth underneath.
11. Spread out the bread crumbs evenly over all the dough.
13. Lift up the edge of the parchment paper closest to you to roll the edge of the dough over the filling.
15. Add more spoonful's of the apple filling, parallel to the covered apple filling.
17. Transfer your apple strudel to a baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter.
19. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar.
2. Mix the flour and salt.
4. Knead the dough until it's soft and stretchy.
6. Peel, quarter, and thinly slice the apples. Discard the cores.
8. Spread out a patterned tablecloth. Lightly flour it & roll out your dough.
10. Use a soft pastry brush or your fingers to brush ¼ cup of the melted butter over all the dough.
12. Spread out a few large spoonful's of the apple filling in a line.
14. Brush the top of the dough that’s covering the apples with some melted butter.
16. Roll the dough over the apple filling, using the parchment paper to lift it up.
18. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the baking sheet 180° after 15 minutes.
20. Slice and enjoy it plain or with ice cream or vanilla sauce!
Pro Baking Tips
- Try to cut the apples as thinly and uniformly as possible with a sharp kitchen knife. If the apple slices are different sizes in thickness, they’ll cook at different times. Larger apple slices will still be crunchy and uncooked while the thin slices will be soft and juicy.
- If you’re kneading the dough by hand and the gluten in the dough seizes up (it feels really tense and hard to knead) throw the dough ball down on your work surface a few times from about one foot in the air. This will help relax the gluten so you can continue kneading.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts: You can add chopped like almonds or walnuts to the strudel filling to add a crunchy texture.
- No Raisins: Feel free to leave out the raisins, or substitute golden raisins for a milder flavor.
- Soaked Raisins: For more flavor, soak the raisins in rum, apple juice, or port wine instead of hot water.
- Other Fillings: Once you can make strudel dough, the possibilities are endless! Swap out the apples for other seasonal fruit like blueberry strudel, fresh peach strudel, or cherry strudel with puff pastry.
Storing Tips
Apple strudel is best on the day it’s made, while the crust is still crispy. However you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend warming it in the oven or a toaster oven, and sprinkling it with a little extra powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips for Stretching Homemade Strudel Dough
- Place the dough on top of something like a newspaper or patterned tablecloth to help determine how thin to stretch it. My Oma said that your strudel dough isn’t thin enough until you can read the newspaper through it!
- Knead the dough for at least 8 minutes to develop a lot of gluten, which will help the dough become stretchy and less likely to tear.
- Allow the dough to rest after kneading it for at least 30 minutes, so the gluten can relax. This will make the dough softer and more pliable as you stretch it out. If the gluten isn’t relaxed, the dough will keep bouncing back and it won’t stay stretched out.
- Remove any jewelry before stretching the dough. Rings or bracelets could get caught on the thin dough and rip it.
- If your dough does tear while stretching it out, don’t panic. Just gently use your fingertips to press the dough back together. You can also cut a piece of dough off an edge and use that to patch any holes.
Where did Apple Strudel Originate?
My Grandpa’s family is from Slovenia, and when we lived in Germany, my Grandpa said he finally found real Apfelstrudel, so I consider my family’s recipe an authentic German apple strudel. This delicious dessert is said to have initially originated in Austria, where it’s considered an iconic Viennese dessert.
And believe it or not, the super thin pastry dough that makes a traditional strudel was inspired by phyllo or yufka pastry from the Middle East, which came to central Europe during the Ottoman Empire.
Traditional German Apple Strudel from Scratch
Ingredients
Dough
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup warm water (around 115°F temp)
Filling
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 pounds apples (I recommend using Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Jonagold)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (from half a medium lemon)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (one stick)
- ⅔ cup unseasoned bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs
Topping
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepare the Strudel Dough
- Cover the raisins with hot water or apple juice in a bowl and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours (overnight).
- In a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt.
- Add the oil. Slowly add the water while mixing the dough. Continue mixing until it forms a crumbly, shaggy dough. It will be pretty dry at first, but it’ll soften once you knead it.
- If kneading by hand, place the dough on a clean work surface, and knead for a full 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and stretchy. If kneading with a stand mixer, replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and leave it on your work surface, either covered by a kitchen towel or your mixing bowl turned upside down. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Apple Filling
- While the dough is resting, prepare the apple filling. Peel quarter, and thinly slice the apples, discard the cores. You want the apple slices as thin and as evenly sliced as possible, so use a sharp kitchen knife or a mandolin.
- In a large bowl, mix the soaked and drained raisins, apple slices, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Stretch the Strudel Dough
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On your work surface, spread out a smooth, patterned tablecloth or large patterned towel. Lightly flour it, then place the dough on top and begin rolling out the dough with a rolling pin. Once the dough is rolled out as thin as possible, gently begin stretching the dough to get it thinner. To stretch the dough, ball your hands into fists, place them under the dough in the center, then drag the dough on the tops of your hands and knuckles as you bring your hands towards the edge of the dough. Continue on all four edges of the dough, until it’s stretched out enough to see the pattern of your tablecloth or towel underneath. The dough will end up around 16 inches by 24 inches.
- Take the parchment paper lining your baking sheet, and place it on your work surface. Transfer the stretched-out dough on top of the parchment paper. (This will ensure you don't shape your strudel too big for your baking sheet.)
Add the Filling and Shape the Strudel
- Use a soft pastry brush or your fingers to brush ¼ cup of the melted butter over all the dough.
- Spread the bread crumbs evenly over all the dough.
- With one of the longer edges closest to you, use a slotted spoon (a spoon with holes in it) to spread out a few large spoonful's of the apple filling in a long line, leaving about a one-inch space on the edge without any filling.(The slotted spoon will help leave any excess juice in the bowl, so it doesn’t get into your pastry and make it soggy.)
- Lift up the edge of the parchment paper or cloth towel or table cloth closest to you to roll the edge of the dough over the filling, so the apple filling is covered by dough.
- Brush the top of the dough with some of the remaining ¼ cup of melted butter that’s covering the apple filling. Add another few spoonful's of the apple filling, parallel to the covered apple filling. Again, roll the dough over the newly placed apple filling, using the edge of your tablecloth or linen to lift it up and over.
- Continue layering the apples and rolling the dough a bit at a time, brushing with melted butter after each roll. This creates numerous layers of apple-pastry-apple-pastry.
- Place a new piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet. (The one used to roll the strudel is probably now soaked with melted butter). Gently but in a quick motion with confidence, transfer your fully rolled apple strudel to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of your strudel with the remaining melted butter.
Bake the Strudel
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees after 15 minutes, through to ensure even baking. The strudel is done baking once the top is golden.
- Allow your strudel to cool for 20 minutes, then dust the top with lots of powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy!!
Notes
- Try to cut the apples as thinly and uniformly as possible with a sharp kitchen knife. If the apple slices are different sizes in thickness, they’ll cook at different times.
- If you’re kneading the dough by hand and the gluten in the dough seizes up, throw the dough ball down on your work surface a few times.
- Remove any jewelry before stretching the dough. Rings or bracelets could get caught on the thin dough and rip it.
flora
I did the strawberry strudel but didn't know you have the original apple one as well, excited to try this next time!
Carissa Erzen
Yes! We have ALL the strudels including strawberry, apple, blueberry, cheese, and cherry! If you want any other flavors, just let me know!
Lina
Not hard to make and my German friends approve of it!
Carissa Erzen
Haha that's great to hear!
Grudenven
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Carissa Erzen
Awesome, I'm so glad!