Nutty" Austrian Applestrudel (Apfelstrudel Mit Nüssen)

A classic, extremely luscious Austrian dessert. Serve lukewarm with ice cream or vanilla sauce, or cold with whipped cream. For "time effeciency "reasons use ready made puff pastry or filo pastry.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 250  g flour (all purpose)
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  egg (whole)
• 100  ml water (lukewarm)
• 20  ml  oil (canola)
•  vinegar (1 dash)
• 750  g apples (rather sour, such as Granny Smith, already peeled, pitted and cut in about 1 - 1,5cm long, thin slic)
•  lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
• 1  teaspoon lemon, cest
• 50  g  breadcrumbs
• 50  g hazelnuts (ground)
• 50  g butter
• 120  g brown sugar (or to taste)
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 50  g raisins (optional)
• 2 -3  tablespoons rum (or calvados) (optional)
•  butter (melted, for coating)
•  icing sugar (for dusting)

Directions

1. Knead all dough ingredients (first 6) to a soft and elastic dough using your hands. Form a ball, cover in plastic wrap and put in fridge for about 30min.
2. Peel and pit apples and cut into 1 to 1,5cm long, thin slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice, stir and set aside. (You should have about 750g apples).
3. Melt 50g butter in a non stick pan, add 120g (use more or less according to your "sweet tooth") brown sugar, hazelnuts and breadcrumbs. Stir and toast until fragrant (be careful not to burn the nuts, sugar and breadcrumbs). Add cinnamon and lemon cest, transfer mixture to a bowl, set aside to cool.
4. Roll dough using a rolling pin on a flour dusted cloth. Use the back of your hands to actually "drag" the dough along until very thin (you're supposed to be able to read a newspaper lying under the dough). Spread butter on the dough.
5. If using raisins: add raisins, rum or calvados to a microwave proof dish and nuke for about 30 secons until the raisins have soaked up all the alcohol).
6. Sprinkle dough with apples, raisins and the breadcrumb-nut filling.
7. Fold in the dough sides and roll up to a "strudel" using the cloth.
8. Coat with melted butter and let bake until golden brown at 190° (usually about 30min.).
9. Let strudel cool for about 20 minute until lukewarm, dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream or vanilla sauce (or whipped cream).
10. This strudel turns out very fine with puff pastry as well!