How long to bake strudel and at what temperature, recipes for home cooking

Strudel is a filled pastry rolled into a roll. It's easy to make at home using shortcrust pastry, puff pastry, yeast dough, unleavened dough, and even lavash. Strudel can be baked in a gas or electric oven, a microwave, or a slow cooker. In this article, we'll explore the nuances of making this dessert in detail.

How long and at what temperature should I bake strudel?

The exact baking time and temperature for strudel depends on the thickness of the dough, the amount of filling, and the type of kitchen equipment you have.

• In a gas or electric oven, this dessert should be cooked for 35–45 minutes at 185–200 degrees.
• In an electric oven or microwave, use the "Convection" mode to ensure the roll is baked evenly on all sides.
• To cook strudel in the microwave, you will need 15-25 minutes (depending on the size of the product) and heating at 190-200 degrees.
• You can also bake the pie in a slow cooker by carefully placing the roll in the bottom of a lightly buttered bowl and gently bending it toward the sides. Then set the "Bake" setting, set the timer for 1 hour, and close the lid tightly. After 40 minutes, open the appliance, flip the roll, and let it sit until the program finishes. Be careful not to burn yourself.

How to bake apple strudel in the oven

The classic strudel recipe is made from puff pastry with apples, nuts, and cinnamon. Puff pastry, shortcrust pastry, yeast dough, unleavened dough, and even lavash are also used as the base for this dessert. You can buy any of these ingredients at the store or make your own.

The filling can include berries, cottage cheese, cheese, chocolate, or fruit, which can be enhanced with poppy seeds, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Cabbage, potato, pumpkin, fish, meat, and mushroom strudels are also available.

Next, we'll look at a simple and popular recipe for apple strudel, for which you'll need:

• 200 g flour;
• egg;
• 50 ml of cooled boiled water;
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil;
• 1 teaspoon of table vinegar;
• 6 small apples;
• 100 g granulated or powdered sugar;
• 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs;
• 3 tbsp raisins;
• 1 tbsp lemon juice;
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon.

Step by step process:

1. First, sift the flour into a large bowl, add the egg, water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, vinegar, and mix the ingredients thoroughly.

2. The result should be a soft and sticky dough, which must be coated with the remaining butter, wrapped in cling film or cellophane and left on the table for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, you can prepare the filling. Wash the apples, remove the cores, and cut them into small cubes (about 1–1.5 cm).

4. Pour lemon juice over the resulting mixture to prevent the fruit from darkening, and mix well.

5. Next, rinse the raisins and pat them dry with paper towels. In a separate dry bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Then knead the risen dough again and, starting from the middle, stretch it with your hands as much as possible. Before doing this, I recommend greasing your palms and the work surface with vegetable oil. Stretch the dough carefully to avoid tearing the dough.

6. After this, sprinkle the surface of the workpiece with breadcrumbs and spread the apple mixture evenly, leaving about 1 - 2 cm from the edges.

7. Then sprinkle the fruit with cinnamon sugar and spread the raisins on top.

8. Next, carefully roll the strudel into a roll shape, first folding the edges.

9. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; optionally, grease it with oil to prevent the dessert from sticking. Carefully transfer the dough onto the parchment paper.

Place the roll in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Bake the strudel at 190-200 degrees Celsius (350-400 degrees Fahrenheit) until golden brown. Once done, remove the pie from the oven, and after it has cooled, dust it with powdered sugar and cut into portions.

Puff pastry strudel

Before baking strudel, I recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the nuances of its preparation:

1. If you are kneading the dough yourself, you should let it rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes before baking to make it more elastic.
2. Strudel dough must be rolled out as thinly as possible, otherwise it won't bake through. It's best to stretch the dough with your hands in different directions.
3. This dessert should have a generous filling. If it's very rich, I recommend sprinkling the layer with breadcrumbs, crushed cookies, or nuts. These ingredients will help absorb excess moisture.
4. If you're using fresh apples for the filling, mix them with sugar just before placing the baking sheet in the oven, otherwise the fruit will release juice and the dough will become soggy.
5. To make the process of rolling the roll easier, use a linen towel sprinkled with flour, pulling it towards you as you form the strudel.

You should also make small cuts on the surface of the workpiece to allow steam to escape when heated.

To prepare apple strudel you will need:

• 2 sheets of puff pastry;
• ½ kg apples;
• egg;
• 50 walnuts;
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon;
• 2 – 3 tbsp. granulated sugar.

Instead of apples, you can use any other filling: fresh or defrosted berries, jam, finely chopped fruit, potatoes with mushrooms, sauerkraut, etc.

Step by step process:

1. First, peel and core the washed apples, then cut them into small cubes.
2. Add cinnamon, sugar, and walnuts, previously crushed with a rolling pin or coffee grinder, to the resulting mixture and mix the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Next, lightly flour your work surface and lay out the sheets of dough. Roll each one out until it doubles in size. I recommend doing this in one of the chosen directions to avoid damaging the structure of the layers.
4. Next, transfer the rolled out dough onto a baking sheet greased with oil or lined with baking paper.
5. Spread the filling evenly over both layers and roll them up, seam-side down. Alternatively, you can use a different method for shaping the strudel: make several cuts in the dough on both sides, stopping short of the center. Place the apple mixture in the center, and seal it with the resulting strips to form a braid.
6. Then the surface of the blanks should be coated with beaten egg and the baking sheet should be placed in a well-heated oven at 200 degrees.

Bake the puff pastry strudel for 30-35 minutes at 190-200 degrees Celsius. Once done, remove from the oven, cool slightly, and dust with powdered sugar.

This baked good can also be cooked in the microwave. In this case, bake the apple strudel on the "Convection" setting at 190 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes. No need to cover it with a lid.

As you've already discovered, strudel can easily be made at home, using either store-bought dough or homemade dough. If you're making your own, I recommend letting the dough rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. This allows the gluten to swell, making the dough more pliable, which is especially important when stretching the dough and shaping it into a roll.