Catalan Kitchen LogoThe Catalan Table
Strudel Forki
A golden and crispy strudel on the outside with a smooth filling thanks to the egg and medium-strength flour that give it a spongy and satisfying texture.
vegetarian
oven
cake
dessert
Ingredients
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 strudelDough ingredients
  • 30 gmedium egg
  • 125 gmedium-strength flour
  • 30 gmelted butter
  • 50 mllukewarm water
  • lemon juice
  • salt
  • sugar
  • Stuffing ingredients
  • 3 golden apples (better slightly tart apples)
  • 30 gbreadcrumbs (grated bread) It also works well to add almond flour
  • 50 gwalnut pieces
  • 3 cullerbrown sugar
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 40 gCorinth raisins
  • 1 Cream with Calvados
  • 100 gRicotta, or Quark, or goat cheese, etc.
Nutritional Information

Per Serving (Approx.)

Calories
789 kcal
Protein
15 g
Fat
27 g
Carbohydrates
126 g

Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.

Step-by-step Guide

Preparation

  • Place the raisins to macerate in a bowl with the rum or Calvados for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they are well soaked.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius before beginning to work. Once heated, remove the baking tray from the oven and line it with parchment paper, making sure to fit the edges well so it is completely covered.

Prepare the Strudel Dough

  • In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, egg, melted butter, warm water, and lemon juice. Stir well with a whisk until everything is well integrated.
  • Add half of the sifted flour and work it with your hands or a spatula until well mixed. Add the other half of the flour and knead it for about 5 minutes until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
  • Let the dough rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the first part of the filling so it is ready once you finish.
  • Once the dough has rested, turn it out onto a clean, dry work surface, preferably marble. Knead it for about 15-20 minutes using the Bertinet method: stretch the dough with your hands, then fold it until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  • Shape the dough into a ball and roll it with the palm of your hand to ensure the seam is well sealed and the surface is smooth.
  • Brush the dough ball with olive oil to prevent it from drying out and wrap it with plastic wrap, making sure it's well covered.
  • Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before continuing with the strudel preparation.

Alternative Dough

  • We can buy Phyllo pastry from the supermarket; it won't yield the same result but works well. We will use 6 sheets of Phyllo pastry, using them one at a time.
  • Since Phyllo dough sheets are very thin and dry out quickly, it is necessary to have the entire filling and butter for brushing prepared in advance and on hand. Prepare the first part of the filling while the dough is in its first resting period.
  • Peel the apples, cut them into quarters, and remove the core. Slice the quarters lengthwise into halves and cut each half into five pieces.
  • Cook the apple pieces with two teaspoons of butter, the sugar, and a splash of lemon juice over high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until the juice they have released has evaporated.
  • Once the juice has evaporated, remove the apples from the heat and pour them into a bowl to cool completely, approximately for 10 minutes.
  • Set aside for now. Prepare the second part of the filling while the dough is in its second resting period.
  • Add the drained raisins to the bowl of cooked and cooled apples.
  • Add the bread crumbs or almond flour, mixing gently.
  • Add the chopped walnuts while stirring.
  • Mix everything together thoroughly until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
  • Preheat the oven to 190ºC with heat from above and below to ensure even cooking.

Rolling Out the Dough

Strudel Forki — Rolling Out the Dough
Rolling Out the Dough
  • Place a large clean cloth on the work surface. It is ideal to have access to the surface from all four sides; if not possible, place the cloth on top of a table. Note: It should be a large cloth because the dough will be stretched quite a bit.
  • Flour the cloth and rub it with your hand so the flour penetrates the fabric, preventing the dough from sticking while you work with it.
  • Place the dough on the cloth and begin to roll it out with the rolling pin from the center outwards, ensuring you maintain even pressure to avoid tearing.
  • When the dough has reached a considerable size, finish stretching it with your hands. Stretch it from underneath with your fists, not your fingers, from the center towards the edges, and lift it gently to avoid breaking it.
  • Return the dough to the cloth and finish stretching it with fingers slightly greased with oil. It should be stretched until you achieve an almost transparent film, allowing the cloth to be seen through.
  • Once you consider it to be sufficiently stretched out and transparent, trim the edges, which will have remained slightly thicker, to achieve a more uniform result.
  • Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or almond flour, being careful not to overdo it. Add ground cinnamon and a bit of lemon zest for aroma.
  • Place the filling, with all the ingredients mixed, near one of the short edges. The filling should not reach the edges to prevent it from overflowing when we roll up the pastry. Remember that it will lengthen as you roll it, so avoid filling it edge to edge.
  • With the help of the cloth, roll the dough over itself and wrap the strudel until just before the dough ends. Brush this final section with melted butter and finish rolling to completely seal the pastry.
  • Twist the excess dough at both ends (like the wrapper of a candy) and trim the excess to achieve clean and well-sealed edges.

Bake

  • Line the baking tray with parchment paper, ensuring it covers the entire surface, and carefully transfer the strudel onto the tray.
  • Brush the strudel with melted butter evenly to achieve a golden and shiny finish.
  • Make diagonal slits on the surface of the pastry about 5 cm apart to allow steam to escape during baking.
  • Bake at 190 ºC with top and bottom heat for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is well-golden. Remember to preheat the oven in advance to ensure even cooking.
  • Let it cool at room temperature until it is warm before handling.
  • Cut into serving portions and dust with powdered sugar before presenting it at the table.

If you dare with Phyllo pastry from the supermarket

  • Place a clean kitchen towel on the kitchen counter and lightly flour it to prevent the dough from sticking while you work with it.
  • Lay a sheet of Phyllo pastry. It is important to keep the other sheets you are not using covered with a damp, well-wrung cloth to prevent them from drying out.
  • Brush this sheet of pastry with melted butter. We recommend doing it with your fingers to use less butter than you would with a brush. Ensure that the butter evenly covers the entire surface of the sheet.
  • Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the sheet. Do not use too much, just enough to keep the Phyllo layers separate from each other; an excess of breadcrumbs can give an unpleasant gritty texture.
  • Add a little ground cinnamon, distributing it evenly over the sheet to impart flavor.
  • Sprinkle lemon zest, ensuring it's well distributed to give a fresh and citrus touch.
  • Place a second sheet of Phyllo dough on top and repeat the process described in the previous steps, including melted butter, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, and lemon zest.
  • Repeat these steps until you have layered all 6 sheets of Phyllo dough, one on top of the other, with the same filling between each.
  • Place the filling, with all ingredients well mixed, near one of the short edges of the dough. Make sure the filling does not reach the edges to prevent it from spilling out when rolling the pastry.
  • From here, follow the instructions for the traditional Strudel, ensuring that the pastry is well sealed and pre-baked with the necessary care.
Recommendations & Tricks
  • An Apfelstrudel is filled with finely sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon. You can add rum-soaked raisins for an extra special touch.
  • A Topfenstrudel is prepared with quark cheese mixed with sugar, lemon zest, and a bit of vanilla. Adding blueberries or raisins can enhance the flavor.
  • To make strudel dough, use medium-strength flour with a protein content of between 11 and 12 grams per 100 grams of flour. This ensures an elastic and easy-to-stretch dough.
  • If you prefer not to make the dough at home, you can buy Phyllo pastry. You'll need to layer six sheets of Phyllo brushed with butter to achieve a similar result.
  • Stretch the dough over a clean kitchen cloth and use your hands to make it as thin as possible, even translucent. This will help achieve a crispy texture.
  • For a golden and shiny finish, brush the strudel with beaten egg before placing it in the oven.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake the strudel on a tray for about 35-40 minutes, or until it is golden and crispy.