Apple strudel can be tough to make since the tough is meant to be super thin (apparently you’re supposed to be able to read a newspaper through it. There’s a lot that can go wrong with apple strudel so we decided to use an America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) version.

Instead of stressing with making the dough themselves they recommend using store-bought phyllo dough. Before we focus on the dough though the first thing is to peel and cut the apples. Once this is done you’ll add in sugar, lemon zest/juice, and spices. In this recipe, you actually par cook the apples in the microwave and then drain the excess liquid (but don’t get rid of it). This and the panko breadcrumbs help control the liquid so you don’t end up with soggy strudel. As a note, we chose not to add raisins to our strudel.

Moving on to the phyllo…

Be sure to read the tips from ATK on using phyllo since it can be a little finicky. You’ll lightly butter the phyllo sheets and then sprinkle some powdered sugar on each layer which apparently helps act as a glue. You keep doing this until you have 7 layers. Then you add some of the filling and gently fold it up. I was able to find a YouTube video of them making this on Facebook and it was really helpful to watch the folding part. Then you brush the top and sides with the apple liquid and bake!

While it may seem like a daunting recipe this isn’t too terribly hard, just a little time consuming. It tasted wonderful and I loved how flaky this was and it tasted great both warm out of the oven and cold. It’s a fun apple recipe to try if you’re looking to change things up and pretty easy compared to many other recipes. Worth trying for sure!

Baking Ease	9
Time Spent	8
Taste	10
Visual	10

Recipe used: America’s Test Kitchen 20th Anniversary Cookbook p. 492