Instructions
Knead flour, egg, oil, salt, and about 100 ml lukewarm water into a soft, very elastic dough, 10 minutes. Oil it lightly, cover with a warm bowl, and rest 1 hour.
15 minToast the breadcrumbs in 40 g of butter until golden and nutty. Cool.
6 minToss the apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, drained raisins, and pine nuts.
8 minOn a large floured cloth, roll the dough out, then slide your hands underneath and stretch it from the center outward with the backs of your hands until tissue-thin, about 60 by 50 cm. Trim the thick rim.
15 minBrush with melted butter, strew the crumbs over two thirds, and lay the filling along the near long edge in a plump log.
6 minLift the cloth and let the strudel roll itself up, snugly but without squeezing. Pinch the ends, curve it gently onto a parchment-lined tray, seam down, and brush all over with butter.
6 minBake at 190 C until deeply golden, brushing once more with butter halfway, 35 to 40 minutes.
40 minRest 20 minutes, dust with icing sugar, and slice with a serrated knife. Serve barely warm.
Chef's Tips
- Warm dough stretches: Resting under a heated bowl keeps the dough extensible. If it springs back or tears, give it ten more minutes rather than more force.
- Crumbs are the moat: Never skip the buttered breadcrumbs; they hold the apple juices that would otherwise turn the pastry sodden from inside.
- In Trentino the strudel sometimes wears shortcrust instead; the pulled version is the Alto Adige point of pride. Both are legitimate, only one is a magic trick.
