strudels
sweet
and
savoury

jump to the instructions for
making traditional strudel dough [pitta dough]
sweet breadcrumbs, apple and other fruit strudels
cooking sweet strudel in an air fryer
traditional and not so traditional savoury fillings….still to come
which brand of filo

This is more of a how-to rather than a recipe, but I have included the recipe for traditional strudel dough.

Whilst strudel may be mainly associated with Germany and Austria, strudel in the form of pita with an almost identical traditional dough can be found through Greece, the Middle East and the Baltic States. The tradition in these countries comes in both savoury and sweet versions.

Basically, it is a filling encased in very fine pastry that has been brushed with butter or oil and layered to form a type of puff pastry.

I’ve mainly focused on the handy tricks. Use the links above to jump to different dishes that are made in this format.

22 april 2025 AO

traditional strudel
dough pitta dough

Before you consider making traditional strudel/pitta dough you need to understand a person cannot make this alone. Alone, even though you might run around your prepared table it will just dry out and crack.

Four people is great, six even better if you have a big table and working quickly is essential.

you need to prepare your table with clean sheet or cloth that has been lightly floured.

This YouTube video is probably the best way of explaining how to work the and stretch the dough, but chef Josef Huber make it look easy solo.

my recipe
makes about a one metre square

If you are making traditional strudel/pitta you need to have your filling ready before you start on stretching the dough. This also means your sweet breadcrumbs for fruit strudels and melted unsalted butter for brushing, about 125g.

You need a clean tablecloth or sheet to cover the table.
Food service gloves are handy for anyone with long fingernails, they help stopping breaking the dough

400g Lauke Wallaby Baker’s flour + extra for dusting the cloth
1 room temperature egg [700g], warmed in hot water
30g unsalted butter, melted but not hot
200g warm water 38°C
2g fine sea salt
5g white wine vinegar

You can make this by hand or in a food processor.

Weigh the flour into your bowl or processor. Whisk together the water, sea salt and vinegar and make sure the salt is dissolved. Whisk together the egg and butter, and then mix in the water mixture.

With the motor running add the liquids and work just until it comes together in a ball. Knead until smooth on a lightly floured surface, cover with a bowl and rest for 30 minutes. Traditionally, the dough is dropped from arm height onto a marble slab or work surface.

When the timer is finished, remove the bowl from the dough and place it in the centre of the prepared cloth. Working from the centre, start pulling and stretching the dough, continuing to do so until the entire dough is a little larger than a metre square and so thin that you can easily see your hand through it. It should be thinner than filo pastry, but still very elastic.

Very carefully brush the entire pastry with melted butter. Leaving a 10cm edge free along one long edge, scatter the sweet breadcrumbs over the pastry, then the filling. One person should then gather up the cloth and rolling the cloth forwards, roll up the strudel with this action. Slide the knife under the centre and cutting upwards away from the cloth cut the strudel in half. Roll a half onto each of baking trays covered with either silicon mats or baking paper and generously butter them with melted butter.

 

cheat’s apple strudel made with filo

sweet breadcrumbs

Sweet breadcrumbs are essential to mop up the juices from fresh fruit and keeping the pastry crisp.

190 unsalted butter
150 fresh white breadcrumbs [1]
100g caster sugar
5g freshly ground cinnamon optional

Fry the breadcrumbs with the other ingredients until they are a little bit crisped. This needs to be watched it burns easily.

[1] Fresh breadcrumbs can be substituted with 190g Maltin Breadcrumbs. Although most of us now have Panko crumbs in our pantries, they don’t work as well for strudel.

fruit strudels

Whilst traditional strudel recipes mix the sweet breadcrumbs through the fruit, I prefer to put most of it at the base. Unfortunately, I have no step-by-step pics available.

Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or baking paper. Butter four sheets of filo, laying them on top of each other. Butter another sheet, fold it into four and place it in the middle. Butter another two sheets and place them on top.

Add two-thirds of your sweet crumbs to the middle where your folded sheet is placed. Add the fruit and the remaining sweet crumbs. Working on alternate sides fold the buttered filo up over the fruit making a neat rectangle. Working one at a time, butter another four sheets of filo and cover the fruit. Using the butter brush push the excess under the strudel.

Preheat oven to 180&degC
If you are lucky enough to have plumbed in steam 10% steam for the first 20 minutes, or a water spray every 15 minutes is great. This stops the filo of colouring too quickly and burning before the raw fruit filling is cooked.

Cooking time is about 45 minutes for apple strudel and a little less for plum. Best advice keep your eye on your strudel, but less than 30 minutes your apple will still be a bit raw.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with cream…and if you can be fussed ice cream.

above folding the filo back on the top in a neat parcel and below covered with more filo for the top that is neatly tucked under

which brand of filo

DO NOT buy frozen filo pastry it is always crap. I only by Antoniou brand [thin, but the thicker one does have it’s uses]. I only buy it from Omega Foods, 33 Adam Street, Hindmarsh, South Australia 5007, where stocks move quickly.

Just a tip, always let the filo come up to room temp before you start.

air fryer strudel

When it comes to cooking a strudel in the airfryer you have to think laterally. Make a square not a rectangle for a start.

180°C worked perfectly, took about five minutes to come to temp and was done and dusted in 25 minutes. Did give it a couple of sprays with water during that time.

It was crisp on the bottom but if I use the airfryer again I will put a little cake rack under the air fryer bottom disk.

ABOUT

We have 42 years history at the highest level
in the food and wine industry and the passion for our craft remains undiminished…
read more

ON cuisine-extreme

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our newsletter
to get the latest news, tips, and advice.
Click here TO SUBSCRIBE
 
.……… ann_oliver

COPYRIGHT © TEXT AND IMAGES ANN OLIVER 2025 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED