Viennese Apple Strudel

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C with a rack in the middle and line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the raisins in a small bowl with the rum and leave them to plump while you work; they turn juicy instead of dry and chewy.

   Add in this stepRaisins 20 gRum (or warm apple juice) 1 tbsp

2. Melt the butter in a 18 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and stir for 3 min until evenly golden and smelling toasty, then tip them onto a plate. The crumbs soak up the apple juices and keep the pastry crisp, so don't skip them.

   Add in this stepButter (for the crumbs) 15 gFine dry breadcrumbs 30 g

   medium heat

3. Peel, quarter and core the apples, then slice them about 3 mm thin. In a bowl toss them with the lemon juice (it stops browning), sugar, cinnamon, salt and the drained raisins. Mix just before rolling: if the apples sit, they release a lot of juice.

   Add in this stepTart, firm apples (about 180 g each) 2Lemon juice 1 tbspSugar 30 gGround cinnamon ½ tspSalt 1 pinch

4. Lay a clean tea towel on the worktop and put one sheet of filo on it, long side towards you. Brush it lightly with melted butter, lay the next sheet on top and repeat until all sheets are used, building a rectangle of about 30×40 cm (overlap sheets by 3–4 cm if needed, or trim). Keep the waiting sheets under a damp cloth; filo dries and cracks within minutes.

   Add in this stepFilo or strudel pastry sheets, thawed 4Butter, melted (for brushing) 18 g

5. Scatter the crumbs over the half of the pastry nearest you, leaving a 3 cm border at the sides, and pile the apples in a strip on top. Fold the side borders in, then lift the towel and let the strudel roll itself away from you into a log. Roll it onto the tray seam side down and brush with the remaining butter.

   Add in this stepButter, melted (for brushing) 7.5 g

6. Bake for 30 min at 190 °C, until the pastry is deep golden and crisp and you can hear juice bubbling inside; a thin knife should slide into the apples without resistance. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.

7. Let the strudel cool on the tray for 10 min so the juices settle, then dust generously with icing sugar and cut with a serrated knife. Serve warm, with whipped cream or vanilla sauce if you like.

   Add in this stepIcing sugar 1 tsp