Apple strudel

Method

Shortcrust pastry

1. 1 Let the butter soften at room temperature, then cut it into cubes and place it in a bowl.
2. 2 Add the sugar and mix by hand or with a whisk until creamy.
3. 3 Add the eggs, mixing well without worrying if the dough appears initially loose.
4. 4 At this point, pour in the flour all at once, the cinnamon, the baking powder, the salt, the lemon zest, the vanillin and the milk and start kneading with (preferably cold) hands. As soon as the flour is absorbed, transfer the mixture to a work surface and knead very quickly to make it homogeneous. It is essential to work the shortcrust pastry as little as possible: this way you will avoid excessively heating the butter and developing the gluten network, which would make the dough elastic rather than crumbly. Finally, shape the dough into a block and wrap it in cling film.

Filling

5. 5 Peel the apples and cut them into pieces, I cut them into 12 pieces (first in half, then into quarters and then I make 3 pieces from each apple quarter). Pour the lemon juice and mix well, then add the sugar, the cinnamon, the breadcrumbs, the pine nuts, the walnuts and the raisins and mix everything. The quantities are to taste, I prefer to be generous, except for the sugar, I don't like it if it's too sweet, I put a maximum of 2 tablespoons.

Baking

6. 6 At the end beat a whole egg with a fork and brush the whole strudel with the egg.
7. 7 Bake in a preheated oven at 180° top and bottom heat for approx. 40 minutes, the shortcrust pastry must be well browned.