Apple strudel is a wonderfully tasty dessert thatās popular amongst a whole host of people from across the world – it’s particularly popular, however, in Germany and Austria. Whether youāre making your own or buying it from somewhere else, how can you store it?
Can You Freeze Apple Strudel?
Yes, you can freeze apple strudel for up to 6 months. The best way to do this is to freeze the strudel before baking it. Assemble the strudel as you would if you werenāt going to freeze it, and then cover it and freeze.
Do Does Apple Strudel freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Apple Strudel? Yes
Looking for a full list of Thanksgiving foods you can freeze? Here it is!
How to Freeze Apple Strudel
The best way to freeze apple strudel is by assembling it as any recipe will tell you to, and then freezing the assembled strudel. This method will prevent the pastry from going soggy, while also decreasing the chances of freezer burn:
- Assemble: First of all, assemble the raw apple strudel as the recipe instructs you to, being sure that the wrap itself is tight.
- Wrap: From there, wrap the entire strudel in parchment paper firmly – you want to eliminate any air bubbles from being between the strudel and paper.
- Bag Up: Finally, place the package into a freezer bag or container-sized a little too largely – this will provide another barrier against frost.
- Freeze: Label and place in the freezer, where it should keep for around six months.
3 Tips for Freezing Apple Studel
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing apple strudel to have the best results:
Coat Apple in Sugar and Cinnamon
Ensure that all the pieces of apple in the strudel have a good coating of cinnamon and sugar. This will prevent them from oxidizing in the freezer, which would be less than ideal.
Use Parchment Paper First
Ensure that the layer that touches the pastry is parchment paper, or similar material, like butcherās paper. Having this material be a little permeable will be better for the overall freezing process, as it creates a larger central area, rather than a small one where frost could occur rapidly.
Freeze Before Baking
Make sure to freeze the strudel before youāve baked it. Freezing at this stage will eliminate the chances of introducing too much water into the mixture, which would be negative for the crispiness of the pastry.
How Long Can You Freeze Apple Strudel?
When freezing apple strudel, weāre contending with the pastry itself. The pastry is quite fickle, and having too much water in the dough will lead to a poor baking experience.
This is why we recommend freezing strudel within parchment paper or something similarly not airtight – this would allow for greater distribution of moisture, preventing water absorption in an isolated spot.
Also for this reason, we would recommend freezing strudel pre-baking and freezing for a maximum of 6 months. This will prevent too much frost from forming on the strudel, which would introduce water to the pastry, negatively affecting the end result.
How Do You Defrost Apple Strudel?
The best way to defrost strudel, for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the pastry itself, is to go slowly.
If the ice crystals throughout the strudel are allowed to thaw too quickly, then they could hydrate the flour in the pastry. Because pastry flour has a low-gluten content, it will not support this extra moisture, so the strudel wonāt bake well, if at all.
For this reason, we would recommend thawing the apple strudel in the fridge overnight. After that time has passed, there will be little to no ice in the strudel, so it can be baked as normal, and will taste perfectly fresh!
Can You Refreeze Apple Strudel?
Provided the apple strudel hasnāt been baked after you thawed it out, the strudel can certainly be refrozen.
The reason for this is quite simple. During the baking process, youāre essentially removing water from the pastry in a controlled way. This controlled drying results in a crispy crust.
If refrozen, youāre essentially dampening the crust again in a non-predictable way, allowing for the crispiness to be lost.
This crispiness is impossible to retrieve, meaning that weād always recommend freezing strudel pre-baking, as this will allow for the best level of baking after it has been thawed properly.
Does Apple Strudel Freeze Well?
Yes, apple strudel freezes very well! If it is frozen properly, in accordance with the method and tips that weāve laid out in this article, it can be frozen exceptionally well.
This freezing process allows for you to make a strudel very far in advance, wowing guests and family members alike.
Making your own apple strudel for big family get-togethers or dinner parties with friends is a huge time saver, knowing you can freeze it without anyone noticing you did so!
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing apple strudel or strudel in general, then these may help:
Yes, strudel that has been made with apple and mincemeat can be frozen. It’s a good idea to freeze it before baking it.
Yes, you can freeze apple strudel from Costco provided that you haven’t baked it. If it is already baked then you should avoid freezing it as the pastry will deteriorate once thawed.
Yes! Learn more about how to safely freeze stewed apples here.
Strudel can be frozen whether the strudel has been made apples, cherries, pears or peaches. It’s important that it is frozen before baking, however.
