Apricot strudel from puff pastry

Wash the apricots under cold water, halve them and remove the stones. Cut each half into thin slices. An apricot strudel needs a dry base, so toast the breadcrumbs briefly in a hot dry pan, stirring constantly, until golden. They will soak up the juice the fruit releases while baking and keep the bottom crisp.

Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs into a bowl. Add the ground walnuts, caster sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix everything well until a fragrant nutty blend forms. It coats the fruit and holds the filling together even after baking.

Unroll the puff pastry with its baking paper onto the work surface. Sprinkle the surface evenly with half of the nutty blend. Leave a free strip about 2 cm wide along the edges so the pastry can be sealed at the end. Arrange the apricot slices in one dense row along the longer side and scatter the rest of the blend over them.

Roll the pastry tightly from the filled side into a log, using the paper to help. Press and tuck the ends well so the filling does not leak during baking. Move the roll carefully seam side down onto a tray lined with baking paper. Brush the surface with beaten egg, which gives the crust a golden color and shine.

Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the puff pastry turns crisp and golden and the filling starts to bubble gently. Let the finished pastry cool slightly on the tray. Only then dust it with icing sugar and cut it into diagonal slices with a sharp knife.