Apple Pear Strudel

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• 400 grams apples
• 360 grams pears
• 110 grams superfine sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 120 grams sultanas
• 30 grams butter
• 70 grams stale breadcrumbs
• 100 grams firmly packed brown sugar
• 125 grams butter, melted
• Strudel Pastry
• 225 grams flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbs. oil
• 80 ml warm water

Preparation

Step 1

Peel and core apples and pears, slice very thinly using a vegetable peeler. Combine fruit, sugar, essence in bowl and mix well. Cover and stand 1 hour. Drain as much excess liquid from fruit mixture as possible. Combine fruit mixture with spices, rind and sultanas in bowl and mix lightly. Heat butter in pan; add breadcrumbs, stir over low heat until breadcrumbs are golden brown; cool. Combine breadcrumbs and brown sugar in a bowl and mix well.

Sift flour into a bowl, making a well in the center of flour, add egg and oil. Gradually add water, mixing to a soft dough with your hands. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead into a ball. Pick up dough and throw it down on lightly floured surface, do this about 100 times.

Knead dough for an additional 5 minutes. The more it is kneaded the lighter the dough will be. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl; cover, stand in warm place for 45 minutes. Roll out dough as thinly as possible on a lightly floured surface. Flour back of hands and slip then under the dough, then start stretching the dough until it is paper thin and 72 cm square. Brush pastry with some of the extra butter. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over half the pastry. Spoon fruit mixture along 1 end of the pastry about 5 cm from edge; fold in sides of pastry to edge of filling. Gather cloth in hands and carefully roll up strudel, using the cloth as a guide. Place strudel on a large greased oven tray, curving gently into a horseshoe shape. Brush with more butter. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. When cold, dust with icing sugar.