Apple strudel 'South Tyrol'

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 250 g flour
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100 ml water, lukewarm
• 1 kg apples, firm, sour (Boskop, Elstar)
• 1 organic lemon(s), grated peel
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp pine nuts, alternatively almond slivers or chopped nuts
• 70 g sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 100 g raisins, soaked in a little water
• Grease or baking paper for the mold
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• Butter for spreading the dough
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

For the dough: Pile the flour onto a baking board, make a well in the center, and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, the egg, and salt. Mix the ingredients together, working from the edges, and knead vigorously into an elastic, supple dough, gradually adding about 100 ml of lukewarm water. Shape into a ball, brush with oil, and cover in a warm bowl in a warm place for about 30 minutes. This is very important so the dough stays elastic and stretches easily! For the filling: Peel and quarter the apples, remove the cores, and cut into thin slices (I do this with a cucumber slicer). Place in a bowl, mix with grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, pine nuts (or nuts or almonds), sugar, and cinnamon. Drain the raisins and mix in as well. Rolling and stretching: Dust a large kitchen towel with flour, first flatten the ball of dough on it, then roll it out with a rolling pin until the pattern on the kitchen towel is clearly visible. If that’s not thin enough for you, reach under the dough with both hands and carefully stretch it out in all directions. Spread the dough thinly with melted butter, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and spread the apple mixture evenly over it. Leave a 2-3 cm border on both narrow sides and one long side. Fold in the narrow sides up to the filling, then quickly roll up from the uncut side using the kitchen towel. Using the towel, lift the dough onto the greased or parchment-lined baking tray, making sure the seam is facing down so it doesn’t unravel. (I’d like to try using baking paper instead of a kitchen towel; it would be easier to lift onto the baking sheet.) Now brush the surface of the strudel generously with melted butter and bake for about 1 hour at 200°C (top/bottom heat) in a preheated oven. Let it cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with cream or vanilla sauce. Note: It’s the butter that makes this strudel so incredibly crispy yet so tender. Therefore, please don’t substitute it with anything else. Tip: You can also soak the raisins in rum or Calvados; it tastes very good, but it won’t be authentically South Tyrolean.