Apfelstrudel

Method

1. Whisk the flour and salt together. Add the oil, vinegar and warm water and bring together into a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface for 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic, throwing it down against the counter a few times, which develops the gluten faster than kneading alone.
2. Shape into a ball, brush with a little oil, and rest covered for 30 minutes at room temperature; the dough must relax fully or it tears when stretched.
3. Soak the raisins in the rum, if using, or warm water if not.
4. Melt the 70 g butter in a pan and toast the breadcrumbs over medium heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Toss the apple slices with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and drained raisins.
6. Cover a large table with a clean cloth and dust it with flour. Stretch the dough out by hand from the centre, working outwards, until it is thin enough to see the pattern of the cloth through it; trim the thick edge.
7. Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs over two-thirds of the dough, leaving a border, then spread the apple filling over the breadcrumbs.
8. Using the cloth to help, roll the strudel up from the filled end, tucking in the sides as you go, then transfer it seam-side down onto a lined baking sheet.
9. Brush all over with the melted butter. Bake at 200°C for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and crisp.
10. Cool slightly, dust with icing sugar, and serve warm, ideally with vanilla sauce or whipped cream.

Notes

• The breadcrumb layer is not decorative. It absorbs the juice the apples release as they bake, which is what keeps the bottom of the strudel from turning soggy while it is still in the tin.
• Rest the dough the full 30 minutes. A dough that has not relaxed enough tears as soon as you try to stretch it thin, no matter how carefully you work.
• Work from the centre outward when stretching, and use the backs of your hands rather than your fingertips, which are more likely to poke through.
• It is best eaten the day it is baked, still slightly warm; it keeps for 2 days at room temperature but the pastry softens noticeably.

Ingredient substitutions

• Filo pastry, 6 to 8 sheets brushed with melted butter between each layer, is a reasonable shortcut if stretching dough by hand is not practical, though the texture is thinner and crisper rather than the traditional chewy-crisp contrast.
• Firm, tart apples like Boskoop or Granny Smith hold their shape best; very soft apples collapse into mush during the long bake.
• Raisins can be dried cranberries or left out entirely for a plainer filling.
• For a nut version, scatter 40 g of chopped walnuts or hazelnuts in with the breadcrumbs.