
Apple and Pear Strudel
Description
The pastry is simple and quick to prepare. Thin, crispy dough with a juicy, aromatic filling—that's strudel, the famous Viennese dessert. It's very easy and fast to make, provided you have ready-made puff pastry in your freezer (I'm a well-prepared homemaker, so I always keep puff pastry on hand). Traditionally, strudel is made with apples or cherries, but I decided to try combining pear and apple—it turned out delicious. Cinnamon or vanilla can be added to the filling, if desired. Want to find out how?
Instructions
- 1
Step 1

1. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and place it onto a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Let the pastry thaw.
- 2
Step 2

2. Prepare the fruits. Wash the apple and pear, peel them, and remove the cores and seeds. I use dried cranberries and do not soak them in boiling water.
- 3
Step 3

3. Cut the apple and pear into small cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice, add cranberries or raisins, and mix.
- 4
Step 4

4. Over high heat, melt the butter in a skillet and add sugar, mix well.
- 5
Step 5

5. Add the sliced fruit and, stirring, caramelize for about 10 minutes. It is desirable to evaporate all the liquid. Then let the resulting mixture cool down. The strudel filling is ready.
- 6
Step 6

6. Crush the breadcrumbs into crumbs.
- 7
Step 7

7. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet, slightly larger than a standard sheet of parchment paper for baking. Evenly sprinkle breadcrumbs over the dough, leaving a gap of about 5-6 cm on one side and about 2 cm on the sides.
- 8
Step 8

8. Spread the cooled (!!!) filling evenly over the breadcrumbs.
- 9
Step 9

9. Fold the side edges of the dough sheet, then roll up the strudel using the parchment paper.
- 10
Step 10

10. Moisten the opposite edge of the dough sheet with water and finally shape the strudel into a roll.
- 11
Step 11

11. Transfer the strudel, along with the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet. I experimented: I made cuts in the top layer of dough on half of the strudel using a sharp knife. Place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees.
- 12
Step 12

12. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until nicely golden brown. There's no difference between the cut and the uncut strudel—they baked equally well. The cut one just looks fancier :)
- 13
Step 13

13. This is what the strudel looks like when sliced.
- 14
Step 14

14. Sprinkle the strudel with powdered sugar and enjoy!