Apple strudel

• Dough and technique from Kaffeehaus - Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers, filling extemporized by me

Strudel Dough

• 1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil, and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary. Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

Erica's Experimental Apple-Rhubarb-Pecan Strudel Filling

• Approximately a pound of apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into small chunks
• 2/3 cup chopped rhubarb (I would use more next time, aiming for a 1:1 apple to rhubarb ratio)
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus a few tablespoons to taste, if desired
• 5 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 splash bourbon
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Worried about crisp or stringy rhubarb, I softened mine on the stovetop with half the sugar and the whiskey before mixing it in with the apples. This was probably unnecessary, but did have the advantage of removing some of the liquid from the rhubarb so it could be strained off later, making the strudel less soggy.

After that optional cooking step, I combined the softened rhubarb with the all of the other filling ingredients except the butter and pecans, and then let the mixture sit for a while to draw out the liquid and let the flavors marry.

Assembling the strudel

It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough can help stretch it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Spread the pecans about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Drain the excess liquid from the apple-rhubarb mixture. Spread the mixture over the pecans, and if desired, sprinkle a little extra sugar over the mix.

Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked..