Name: Strudel di mele
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Cuisine: Italian, Trentino-Alto Adige
Ingredients: 250 g Italian 00 or all-purpose flour; 125 ml warm water; 1 large egg; 20 ml neutral oil; 3 g fine sea salt; 5 ml lemon juice or mild vinegar, for extensibility; 800 g firm tart-sweet apples, such as Renetta or Golden, peeled and thinly sliced; 80 g caster sugar; 80 g raisins; 40 g pine nuts; 5 g ground cinnamon; 5 g finely grated lemon zest; 20 ml lemon juice; 30 ml dark rum, optional, for soaking the raisins; 100 g fine dry breadcrumbs; 70 g unsalted butter, divided; 20 g icing sugar, for dusting

Strudel di mele: wide hero view of a rolled apple strudel dusted with icing sugar and sliced to show apples, raisins and the spiral of thin pastry

Prep45 minutes

Cook40 minutes

Total1 h 55 min

Yield8 slices

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The dish

About Strudel di mele

Apple strudel is one of the emblematic desserts of Trentino-Alto Adige. VisitTrentino notes the regional use of local apples, raisins, pine nuts, cinnamon and butter-toasted breadcrumbs, and describes hand-stretched pastry as one traditional form.

The breadcrumbs have a technical purpose: toasted in butter and spread beneath the fruit, they absorb apple juices that would otherwise soak the bottom of the pastry.

The dough is kneaded until elastic, rested, then stretched over a cloth until almost translucent. The rest is essential because tight gluten fights stretching and tears at the edges.

Apples are sliced rather than puréed so the baked filling keeps distinct pieces. Lemon, cinnamon and raisins provide aroma; pine nuts add the characteristic Alpine-Mediterranean contrast.

The roll should be baked until the pastry is crisp and the apple filling is fully steaming. A short cooling period allows juices to settle before the first slice.

Technique

Three things that matter

Rest the dough before stretching. Relaxed gluten lets the sheet become translucent without springing back.
Use buttered breadcrumbs under the apples. They absorb juice and protect the bottom pastry from becoming wet.
Keep the filling broad and even. A compact mound makes a thick raw centre; a wide layer rolls and cooks more evenly.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Stretched strudel dough

250 gItalian 00 or all-purpose flour
125 mlwarm water
1large egg
20 mlneutral oil
3 gfine sea salt
5 mllemon juice or mild vinegarfor extensibility

Apple filling

800 gfirm tart-sweet applessuch as Renetta or Golden, peeled and thinly sliced
80 gcaster sugar
80 graisins
40 gpine nuts
5 gground cinnamon
5 gfinely grated lemon zest
20 mllemon juice
30 mldark rumoptional, for soaking the raisins

Breadcrumb layer and finish

100 gfine dry breadcrumbs
70 gunsalted butterdivided
20 gicing sugarfor dusting

Step by step

Method

Make and rest the dough

Knead until very elastic. Mix flour, water, egg, oil, salt and lemon juice into a soft dough. Knead 10–12 minutes until smooth and springy.
A small piece should stretch thin before tearing rather than snapping immediately.
Oil and rest. Shape into a ball, coat lightly with oil, cover and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
The rested dough should feel noticeably more relaxed and less resistant.

Prepare the filling

Toast the breadcrumbs. Melt 35 g butter in a skillet, add breadcrumbs and cook until evenly golden and nutty. Cool.
The crumbs should be dry and crisp, not dark or greasy.
Season the apples. Mix sliced apples with sugar, raisins, pine nuts, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice. If using rum, soak raisins briefly first and drain excess.
The fruit should be coated but not swimming in liquid.

Stretch, fill and roll

Stretch the pastry almost translucent. Flour the cloth lightly. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, then slide hands underneath and stretch gently from the centre outward until very thin. Trim any thick rim.
A printed pattern or the outline of a hand should be visible through much of the sheet.
Butter and breadcrumb the sheet. Brush with about 20 g melted butter and scatter the toasted crumbs over the lower two-thirds, leaving a clean border.
The crumbs should form a thin absorbent layer rather than a thick filling.
Add apples and roll with the cloth. Spread the apple mixture over the crumbed area. Fold in the side edges and use the cloth to roll the strudel away from the body, finishing seam-side down.
The roll should be snug but not squeezed so hard that the thin sheet tears.
Transfer carefully. Slide or roll the strudel onto the lined tray, shaping it into a gentle curve if needed. Brush with 15 g melted butter.
The seam should remain underneath and no filling should be exposed.

Bake and finish

Bake until crisp and cooked through. Bake at 190 °C for 35–40 minutes, brushing once with the remaining butter if the surface looks dry.
The pastry should be deep golden and the centre should feel hot and fragrant with apple.
Rest before slicing. Cool on the tray for at least 15 minutes, then dust with icing sugar and slice with a serrated knife.
The filling should stay in the roll instead of flooding the plate.

Practical guidance

Regional pastry variation

Trentino-Alto Adige strudel appears with stretched dough, puff pastry and shortcrust pastry depending on valley and household. This version uses the documented hand-stretched style that matches the verified images.

Apple choice

Firm aromatic apples hold pieces better than very soft dessert apples. A mix of sweet and tart varieties gives more depth.

Raisins

Rum is optional. For an alcohol-free version, soak raisins in warm water or apple juice and drain thoroughly.

Serving

Strudel is excellent warm or at room temperature. Vanilla sauce, cream or ice cream may accompany it, but none is required for the base recipe.

Troubleshooting

The pastry tears while stretching. The dough was under-kneaded, under-rested or stretched from the edge instead of gradually from the centre.
The bottom is soggy. The breadcrumbs were omitted, the apples were exceptionally wet or the filling released too much liquid before rolling.
The roll bursts. The filling was packed too tightly or steam could not redistribute inside a very tight roll.
The slices collapse. The strudel was cut straight from the oven; let juices settle for at least 15 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 slices
Calories: approximately 390 kcal
Carbohydrates: 60 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 15 g
Fibre: 5 g
Sodium: approximately 170 mg

Estimate includes the stretched dough and full buttered breadcrumb layer; optional serving sauces are excluded.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, egg and milk; contains pine nuts and may contain alcohol if rum is used.

Wash apples before peeling and keep the finished pastry away from surfaces used for raw egg dough.

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate; reheat in the oven for a crisper pastry rather than microwaving.

FAQ

Is puff pastry traditional for apple strudel?

It is one documented regional option, as are shortcrust and hand-stretched dough. This recipe deliberately uses the thin stretched style.

Why add breadcrumbs?

Buttered breadcrumbs absorb apple juice so the thin pastry can bake crisp instead of becoming wet underneath.

Can strudel be assembled ahead?

The dough and filling can be prepared ahead separately, but once filled the roll should be baked promptly before apple juice softens the pastry.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Crisp, delicate pastry wrapped around distinct tender apples, raisins and pine nuts, with cinnamon aroma and a dry, sliceable interior.
Key: Elastic rested dough and the buttered breadcrumb barrier make the thin pastry practical around a juicy apple filling.