Umbrian strudel (rocciata di Assisi)

This strudel is all about sweet, wintery flavours, with apples, dried figs, walnuts, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, fennel seeds and lemon zest. The olive oil pastry is easy to make and easy to roll out.

Credit: Bonacini's Italy

• serves

  12

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Fruit

• 4 apples (see Note)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup peeled, chopped almonds
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup diced, dry figs
• ¼ cup (60 ml) Vin Santo (or substitute with ice wine or sherry)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp salt

Pastry

• 3 cups flour, plus more if required
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp (6 tsp) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• ½ cup (125 ml) olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• ½ - ¾ cup (120 ml -180 ml) cold water
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• 1 tsp water, for egg wash
• icing sugar and cream, to serve

Resting time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. For the filling, peel and thinly slice apples, then toss with lemon juice and sugar.  Combine chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, raisins, figs, Vin Santo, lemon zest, cinnamon, fennel seeds and salt in a large bowl. Fold in apples, cover bowl, then set aside while you create the pastry dough.

2. For the pastry, combine flour with salt and 1½ tablespoons sugar and pour in a mound on work surface. Create a well in the flour. Pour olive oil and ¼ cup (60 ml) of water into the well and slowly incorporate until a dough forms. Knead dough until firm but supple in texture, adding more water or flour if required. Form dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).

4. To combine, transfer dough to work surface lightly dusted with flour. Roll dough out to roughly a 30cm x 46 cm (12 x 18-inch) sheet. Slice off rough ends to create a rectangle. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Place fruit mixture in a wide line that runs lengthwise down the centre of the dough, leaving 2.5-5 cm (1-2 inches) of border on either side. Roll dough up lengthwise around the fruit, dabbing the edges with oil to secure.

5. Carefully transfer roll to a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Shape the dough into a round ring, using more oil where the two ends meet to secure (you can tuck one end inside the other for form a cicle.  

6. Whisk egg and water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the entire ring with egg wash, then dust with sugar. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

7. Slice into pieces and dust with icing sugar before serving with cream or whipped cream. Buon appetito!

Note

• Choose a crisp apple, such as Pink Lady or Gala.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.