Apple Strudel...A Fear Conquered !

Apple Strudel, I've wanted to make it for a long time, what's stopped me...phyllo dough.   To Read More, Click On The Recipe Title.


I have had the ingredients for over a week, why the hesitation...phyllo dough. Yes those little sheets of delicate dough scare me silly and struck fear in my heart *shudder*. But I did it, finally! This recipe from Paula Deen was an excellent recipe to cut my teeth on. To say that I was nervous about doing this is an understatement, I read the instructions for the dough oh I don't know... 20 times! But my fears were unfounded, yes it's delicate, yes you have to keep the dough covered so it doesn't dry out but other than that it went very fast and the most important part ...it was easy! I didn't put the nuts or the raisins in this, I just wanted apples and cinnamon. But I'm sure that it's wonderful good with those ingredients. The strudel was just fine with the glaze on top for me, I didn't need to use the caramel, I think that would have made it way to sweet.



Most Apple Strudel recipes that I looked at made 2 strudels, it was kinda unclear to me if this recipe made 2 or one, it really didn't matter though because when I was ready to put the filling on the dough I realized I had more than enough for another one so I made 2. I couldn't wait to slice it, it's suppose to be eaten warm right? hee hee. It was wonderful, it was flaky, the filing was perfect but then this came from Paula , why wouldn't it be!



I can't wait to make something else, maybe cherry strudel. I feel silly now being afraid of something so simple to make. One baking victory under my belt, one fear conquered...and a couple more hundred to go! LOL!!


Apple Strudel
Paula Deen

1/4 cup bourbon or apple juice
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 to 3 Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup crushed shortbread cookies
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
5 sheets phyllo dough from 1 pound package of frozen dough
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing phyllo sheets, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar
Caramel sauce, purchased
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons milk

For the Strudel:
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, pour the bourbon or apple juice over the raisins and microwave on high for 45 seconds. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Combine the raisins, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans, and butter in a large bowl.
Remove the phyllo dough from the box, unfold, and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing each with melted butter, stacking when done, being sure to keep the unbuttered phyllo covered.

Place the apple mixture on the nearest third of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling and fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Pour over the glaze and sprinkle with cinnamon and confectioners' sugar. Pass warm caramel sauce, to drizzle over the strudel.

For the Glaze:
Mix ingredients thoroughly.
*Cook's Note: If too thick add a little bit of milk. If too thin add a little bit of confectioners' sugar.