Apple and pear strudel - my favourite

I'm Austrian and - cliché! - strudel is my favourite sweet in the world. It reminds me of my childhood when my granny spend hours teaching me how to make the perfect strudel dough.

Apple and pear strudel

For the dough
150g all purpose flour
15g  (about 1 tbsp) neutral tasting oil e.g. canola or sunflower
1/2 tsp white vinegar e.g. apple cider or white wine
a pinch of salt
80ml lukewarm water
milk or eggwash

For the filling
7 medium sized apples and pears
a handful of mixed berries, I used raspberries and blueberries (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
juice of half a lemon
2-3 tbsp butter, some more for the baking tray

Start by preparing the dough. It needs about an hour of rest which gives you enough time to prepare the filling.
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Pour the flour on a clean surface and use your finger to make a little well in the middle. That's where the oil goes. Use a spatula or knife and, while slowly adding water, mix the liquids with the flour. Thoroughly knead the dough until it doesn't stick to your hands anymore and has a very smooth texture. It's important to make it really really smooth. Otherwise you won't be able to stretch it out properly. Pick up the dough and throw it hard onto the working surface a couple of times to further smoothen the dough.
Shape into a ball, cover with oil and wrap it in cling film. Allow to rest for about an hour at room temperature. The longer the better.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Peel and cut the apples and pears in small pieces. Mix with sugar and cinnamon and add some lemon juice so that they don't go brown. I usually use a bowl with a lid so I can just close it and shake the whole thing. Or just use your hands.

Grease a baking tray generously with butter or line with a silicone baking mat or baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

To stretch out the dough, it's easiest if you have a working area you can walk around such as a dining table. Cover the surface with a table cloth and lightly dust with flour. The table cloth will help with rolling up the strudel once filled.
Keeping the dough elastic is crucial. I found it helpful to iron the table cloth to smooth it out and warm it up before rolling out the dough on it.
Roll out the dough as much as you can using a rolling pin. Turn it over several times while doing this and sprinkle on more flour as needed. Pick up the dough on one side so it is hanging down over the back of your hands. Slowly move the dough in a circle over the back of your hands. It's weight helps with stretching it out. Once it's getting quite thin, put the dough on the table cloth. Reach underneath the dough and use your fingers to gently pull and stretch it from the middle until the dough becomes paper thin. Be careful not to make holes in it. It's thin enough when you can 'read a paper through it'.

When you can't stretch it anymore with your hands put it down and gently pull around the edges. Cut off the thick bit around the edges using scissors. Make sure you work really fast as the dough dries out very quickly.

Melt the butter and spread it over the dough using the back of your index finger. Spread the apple-pear-sugar-cinnamon mixture over one half. Add a handful of frozen or fresh berries if you like.
Fold the dough over the filling on the sides. Start rolling up the strudel starting at the half with the apples on it. To do that, pick up the cloth, lift it up a bit and the strudel basically starts rolling up.

Transfer the strudel to the buttered baking tray. It's probably not gonna fit on in a straight line so you will have to make a half circle or something with it. Brush the top with milk or egg wash.
Put in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with whipped cream or custard.