Classic apple strudel recipe

In a large bowl, mix together the water, oil, lemon juice or vinegar and salt. Acids such as lemon juice or vinegar help to loosen the gluten and make the dough more elastic. Stir in about half of the flour with a spoon until it is combined with the other ingredients. Stir the pancake batter for about 1 minute (it helps the gluten to develop), then add the remaining flour. Take one tablespoon of flour from the total amount of flour and save it, you will need it for kneading.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. The dough should be moist but not sticky. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour. Tap the dough on the counter a few times to speed up the gluten development (or to relieve your stress ;)). Form the dough into a smooth ball. In a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of oil, spread it over the dough with your fingers. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and leave to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured counter. When the dough is about 38 cm in diameter, pick it up and, using the back of the hand, especially the knuckles, stretch and turn it (removing any sharp jewellery first) - similar to pizza dough. When the dough becomes larger and thinner and therefore difficult to handle, place it on a lightly floured tablecloth, straightening the folds both on the tablecloth and on the dough. Continue stretching the dough on the tablecloth with your hands.

Stretch the dough thinly from the inside out by moving it over the sheet of dough. Stretch it out until it looks translucent. The dough is now ready for the rich apple filling.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs. Fry, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and cool.

Soak the raisins in rum or lukewarm water for 10 minutes. Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Peel, halve and core the apples. The apples can then be sliced or grated. When slicing or grating, drizzle the apples with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.

Brush half the dough with about half the melted butter. Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the other half of the dough. Now brush one side with butter and sprinkle the other side with breadcrumbs. Spread the apples over the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly with the raisins (but not the remaining rum or water) and walnuts. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top.

Roll up the side ends of the dough. Using a tablecloth, roll the dough. Transfer the strudel to a baking tray and brush with the remaining melted butter.

Bake the strudel in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes at 200°C. When the crust is golden, the apple strudel is ready. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly, cut into pieces and sprinkle with icing sugar. The crust will be crisp when hot but will soften as the strudel cools. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The apple strudel slices can also be topped with BAM toppings or vanilla paste.