Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce

Set at Pension Linden

about 45 minutes active, plus 1 hour dough resting · Serves 8

a hand-stretched baking project

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 250g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3g fine salt (about ½ tsp)
• 125ml lukewarm water, plus a little more only if needed
• 20g neutral oil, plus 1 tsp for coating
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• For the filling and brushing:
• 750g peeled and cored dessert apples (firm apples such as Braeburn)
• 90g unsalted butter, divided
• 75g fine dry white breadcrumbs
• 70g caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for serving
• For the vanilla sauce:
• 400ml whole milk, divided
• 100ml double cream
• 12g cornflour
• 30g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt. Add 125ml lukewarm water, 20g oil and the vinegar, and bring together. Knead on a clean worktop for 8-10 minutes until smooth and supple, adding extra water 1 tsp at a time if dry crumbs remain. The dough should feel soft without sticking heavily to your hands.
2. Shape into a ball, rub with the extra teaspoon of oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover so no skin can form and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Melt 20g butter in a frying pan. Add the breadcrumbs and stir over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes until pale golden. Transfer to a plate to cool. Melt the remaining 70g butter separately; reserve 50g for the dough and 20g for the outside.
4. Towards the end of the rest, heat the oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan. Line the tray with baking paper. Cut the prepared apples into thin slices about 3mm thick and toss with the lemon juice and zest. Keep the sugar and cinnamon separate until just before filling so the apples do not sit in sugary juices.
5. Spread the cloth on a large table and dust it lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a thin rectangle, then slide your hands underneath, palms down, and gently stretch it over the backs of your hands. Work from the centre towards the edges until approximately 50cm by 60cm and thin enough to see the cloth through it. Stop for 5 minutes if it keeps springing back. Trim any thick border; patch small holes with a scrap of dough.
6. Gently brush the dough with the 50g melted butter. Scatter the cooled crumbs over the nearest third, leaving 5cm clear on both side edges and the edge nearest you. Toss the apples with the sugar and cinnamon, then spread them over the crumbs in a strip approximately 40cm wide. Leave any collected liquid in the bowl.
7. Fold the two side margins over the ends of the apple filling. Fold the nearest edge over the apples, then lift the cloth towards you and upwards so the pastry rolls away from you around the filling. Continue lifting the cloth gently until the strudel is rolled, keeping the cloth outside the pastry throughout. Place seam-side down on the prepared tray, using the cloth to support the roll.
8. Brush the outside with the reserved 20g butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until evenly golden and crisp. The apples should be tender when a thin skewer is inserted discreetly at one end. Bake 5-10 minutes more if needed, loosely covering the top if it is already well browned.
9. While the strudel bakes, mix the cornflour with 50ml cold milk in a small bowl until smooth. Heat the remaining 350ml milk with the cream, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan until steaming. Whisk in the cornflour mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking, for 1 minute until lightly thickened. Take off the heat and cover the surface to prevent a skin.
10. Rest the strudel for 15 minutes. Dust with the icing sugar, slice carefully with a serrated knife and serve with the warm vanilla sauce.

Essy note: This version contains no raisins. Lactose-free butter, milk and cream can replace the dairy ingredients in equal quantities. The sauce uses cornflour rather than egg yolks, but the pastry and breadcrumbs contain wheat.

Questions from the Kitchen

Written by Esther

Esther is a photographer and storyteller, and the founder of Essy's Essentials - a seasonal home for stories, rituals, recipes and everyday luxuries.

Published 19 September 2026

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