The strudel with shortcrust pastry it is one of the possible variants of the sweet from Austrian origins most loved throughout northern Italy. You can easily taste it in Trentino Alto Adige where the strudel is characteristic and where this version is often proposed alongside the classic one. The full and rich taste of the shortcrust pastry goes well with apples, pine nuts, raisins and cinnamon, the classic ingredients of the strudel, but gives a more "crunchy" consistency to the dessert.

The recipe for strudel with shortcrust pastry

For the shortcrust pastry: 300 g 00 flour, 120 g sugar, 1 egg plus 1 yolk, the grated rind of a lemon, 170 g butter, a pinch of salt.

For the stuffing: 4 rennet apples, 60 g sugar, 60 g pine nuts, 40 g soaked sultanas, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 50 g melted butter, 50 g breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons rum, icing sugar, grated zest of one lemon.

Method: put the flour in a bowl, add the butter at room temperature, the grated rind of the lemon, the salt and the sugar. Start kneading, using only your fingertips. Then add the egg and the yolk and continue until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Wrap it in a sheet of plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour. Once this time has elapsed, roll it out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

Now take care of the filling: peel and slice the apples into chunks, put them in a bowl with the sugar, pine nuts, spoons of rum, lemon zest, melted butter, raisins and cinnamon. Mix well. At this point, sprinkle the base of the shortcrust pastry with the breadcrumbs and then roll out the apple filling. Close one side of the dough on the other, sealing the ends and folding them upwards, to prevent the filling from coming out. Place the strudel on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake at 170 degrees for 35 minutes. When it is ready, remove it from the oven and cover it with icing sugar before serving.

An alternative shortbread strudel

In addition to the type of pasta, lo strudel it can also have different versions based on the ingredients that are normally used to fill it. The pearsfor example, instead of apples, they give a less sweet taste. In this case you could choose the kaiser quality or abbot and match them too with plums. Instead of pine nuts or together with these, you can then use other dried fruit, such as hazelnuts, cashews or walnuts. You will have a strudel richer in taste and even more inviting. How about the spring strudel with ricotta and strawberries?

In the tutorial some tips for an even better strudel