Award Winning Apple Strudel

Strudel Dough
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make an indentation in the center and put the egg and cooking oil in the well. Stir while adding the milk gradually to make a soft and and somewhat rubbery dough.

Work the dough in the bowl until it comes away from the sides. Turn out and knead on a pastry board for about 15 minutes with little or no additional flour. Frequently slap the dough down on the board and work until it's elastic and silky smooth. You don't want it to stick to your hands or to the board.

Form the dough into a ball. Set on a clean towel and let it rest for one hour in a warm spot covered with a bowl which has been warmed in hot water.

Warm your rolling pin. While the dough is resting, cover the work surface with a cloth and rub in 2 tablespoons of flour. Brush off any excess flour. Place the ball of dough in the center of the cloth and roll with the warm rolling pin into a sheet 1/8" thick. Lift and turn to prevent sticking to the cloth.

Next, stretch the dough using your floured hands, palm side down under the dough. Work carefully, stretching from the center toward the outside. Don't raise your knuckles too high. Make a fist and lift from the wrists only. Work gently, you don't want to puncture the dough. Stretch as thin as possible moving around the table. It should cover the table and hang slightly over the sides of an oval or rectangle about 36" to 40" long and 30" wide. You may want to have someone help you with this step.

Trim off the edges which may be a little thick. If you accidentally create a hole in the dough, you can moisten the area around the hole with a little water and patch with a thin piece of dough from the trimmings.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes while you peel, core and slice the apples.

Strudel Filling
In a medium bowl, mix the sliced apples, raisins, currants, sugar and cinnamon.  Now brush the surface of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

About 3" from on edge of the pastry and running lengthwise, shape fruit mixture into a bar, leaving a 2" margin on each side. Fold a 3" end piece of dough over the apples, then fold the 2" margins in half.  Lift the corners of the cloth and let the pastry roll up. Stop after each turn, and pat the pastry filling to keep the bar shape even. Roll until the stretched dough is used up. Brush all sides with melted butter and slide the strudel onto a lightly buttered baking sheet, curving it into a u-shape.

Bake in a 375° F oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. A baking pan size of 10" x 15" serves 10.