Apricot strudel (Strucolo con le albicocche)

Instructions

1. To make the pastry, place the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt, giving it a good whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre and add 105 ml of water and the butter. Stir with a spoon until well combined. Tip the pastry onto a floured work surface. Initially, knead with your fingertips until the pastry no longer sticks to your fingers, then knead with the heel of your hand for at least 10 minutes. Don't be tempted to add extra flour – the dough will be very smooth, soft and supple. Place in a clean bowl, cover with a lid or upturned plate and leave to rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
2. To make the filling, wash, dry and quarter the apricots, removing the stones. In a large frying pan that can hold all the apricots, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apricots and sprinkle with the vanilla and half the sugar. Cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the apricots soften and start to release their juices; the time will depend on the size and ripeness of the apricots. Set aside in a sieve to cool completely, draining and discarding any excess liquid (or you could drink the buttery apricot syrup, it is delicious!).
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (ideally the baking sheet should have very low or no sides, so you can easily slip the strudel on and off).
4. Dust a clean tea towel or tablecloth measuring at least 60 cm x 70 cm with flour, ready to work with.
5. To roll out the pastry dough, dust your work surface with flour and gently roll the dough into a rectangle with a rolling pin, flipping it over regularly, and dusting the surface with more flour as you go, so the delicate dough does not stick and tear.
6. Once the dough is about 30 cm x 40 cm, carefully lift it onto your prepared tea towel or tablecloth.
7. Now finish stretching the dough by hand, by carefully placing your hands under the pastry sheet and gently stretching any sections that look thicker. Your sheet needs to be at least 50 cm x 60 cm (20 in x 24 in). If it is any smaller than this, you haven't stretched it thinly enough – you should be able to easily read through the pastry. When you are ready to assemble the strudel, turn the pastry so a shorter edge is closest to you. Trim any thick edges and set them aside (you may need them later).
8. The filling will cover about one-quarter of the pastry, along the whole shorter length, leaving about 4 cm of pastry free at each end. The other three-quarters of the pastry should have no filling on it.
9. Melt 35 g of the butter and brush it over the entire surface of the pastry. Scatter 1 heaped tablespoon of the breadcrumbs over the part of the pastry where the filling will go. Pile the cooled drained apricots on top of the breadcrumbs. Melt the remaining 30 g butter in a small saucepan; remove from the heat, stir in the remaining breadcrumbs and spoon on top of the apricot filling, followed by the remaining sugar (you may like to adjust the quantity, depending on how sweet your apricots are) and the flaked almonds.
10. Beat together the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl.
11. Starting from the edge of pastry that has the filling, use the tea towel to help you roll the strudel into a long sausage enclosing the filling, a little at a time, taking care not to roll it too tightly. When the strudel has been rolled completely, carefully transfer it to your baking sheet (the easiest way to do this is to roll it onto the tray), shaping it into a horse-shoe shape. Brush the outer surface of the pastry with some of the egg wash.
12. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the oven and brush with more egg wash.
13. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Bake for a further 25–30 minutes, until the top of the strudel is deeply golden. If you think it is darkening too quickly, drop the temperature by 10°C for the last 15–20 minutes. Don't be too alarmed if some of the filling breaks through the pastry.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. The pastry softens over time, and is easier to slice once cooled.