Apple & Plum Strudel (vegan)

It’s not a classic (traditional) strudel recipe. I developed it through trial and error a long ago, and now just repeat with different types of filling. I love making strudels that are largely stuffed with fruits and nuts, and contain just a little or no sugar (depends on sweetness of fruit and individual preferences). A thin layer of the soft and crispy pastry is a perfect wrap for this type of bake:)
Tips: toasted bread crumbs and nuts will make a strudel crunchier and tastier. The crumbs are add to the fruit to soak up the juices from them. Also rolling the pastry directly onto the parchment paper will make it easier to transfer the strudel to a baking sheet.
Happy baking!:)
Makes 1 strudel (approx. 45cm long)
Takes 50 minutes + 10 minutes for cooling

Ingredients

Pastry
1/3 cup vegetable oil (grapeseed, sunflower, corn)
4 tbsp cold water
pinch salt
2/3 + 1/2 cup plain flour (slightly more than 1 cup)
Filling
3 medium apples
6 plums
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup walnuts, chopped or crushed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 tbsp rose petal jam (any other jam you like)

Directions

To make the pastry: in a medium bowl combine the oil, sifted flour and salt. Add in cold water and mix everything well. Knead the pastry. It should be elastic and soft, not stiff. Wrap the pastry into plastic and let rest in the fridge (of better in the freezer for 10-15 min.)

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, core, deseed, slice and finely chop apples and plums. Chop walnuts (I do it by hand with a large, sharp knife. This way you can better control their texture. Food processor works well too, but it also can extract too much oil if to overwork the nuts). Combine the fruit, lemon zest, sugar, bread crumbs, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and sprinkle everything with lemon juice.

Line with parchment paper and dust a work surface with flour (for easier transferring to a baking sheet later). Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible into a strip (or divide it in two parts and roll out 2 strips, for 2 smaller strudels). Roll as far as it’ll go. Keep enough flour on a work surface to prevent sticking. Spread the jam over the pastry and even. Place the filling in the middle of the strip(s). Then carefully crimp the edges. Transfer your strudel(s) onto a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Place onto a wire rack to let cool for about 10-15 minutes. Dust with cinnamon, or confectioner’s sugar, if desirable. It’s best when served within an hour-two of baking.

Bon Appétit!

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