Apple Pie

Total time includes chilling time.

Nothing like a slice of warm apple pie served with vanilla ice cream! This recipe has been a winner every time. A flaky, buttery crust made from scratch, and a gooey, sweet apple filling.

Ingredients:

all purpose flour plus more for dusting		2 ½ cups
sugar		1 Tbsp
salt		1 tsp
unsalted  butter, cut into cubes		226 gms / 2 sticks very COLD
ice cold water (more, only if needed)		3 - 5 Tbsp
egg beaten with just a touch of heavy cream (for the egg wash)		1

For best results, use a combination of sweet as well as tart apples. I like to use granny smith, golden delicious, Braeburn, and Jonathan apples.

For the filling:

peeled apple slices, 1/2 a centimeter in thickness		8 cups
muscovado or dark brown sugar		1/3 - 2/3 cup
ground nutmeg		½ tsp
ground cinnamon		½ tsp
ground allspice		¼ tsp
ground ginger		¼ tsp
all purpose flour		¼ cup
Butter		2 Tbsp
cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp water		2 Tbsp

Method:

For the Crust:

1. Chill the ingredients needed for the pie crust. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl and place in the freezer for 20 minutes before starting. (Starting off with chilled ingredients, gives a lovely flaky crust).
2. In a processor, pulse the cold flour mixture for 5 seconds.
3. Add the cold cubes of butter and pulse for 10 seconds exactly. You should achieve a buttery, cornmeal texture.
4. Continue running the machine and pour the iced water, a tablespoon at a time till the dough ‘just’ starts to hold together. (You may not require all the water. Never overwork the dough.
5. Shape into two disks, one larger than the other. Cover each in cling wrap and refrigerate AT LEAST 1 hour.  

Filling:

1. Meanwhile, prepare the apple filling. Add the apple slices, ground spices, sugar, and salt to a large pan.
2. Bring to heat and stir till the apples are coated with all the flavors and cooked till just al-dente.
3. Remove all the juice the has collected into a smaller saucepan and add butter and cornflour.
4. Cook the sweet juice with the butter and cornflour, over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 6-10 minutes.
5. Returned the thickened syrup to the apples and toss well.
6. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Preheat oven to 218 °C / 425  °F.
8. Lightly butter and flour a 23cm /9-inch pie dish. I prefer using metal pie pans.

Assemble the pie:

1. On a lightly floured layer of plastic wrap, lay the bigger sized disk. Cover with another large piece of plastic wrap and roll into a circle, larger than the pie dish.
2. Lift away the top layer of cling film. Flip gently into a 9-inch pie dish.
3. Press gently along the bottom and contours of the dish with the back of your fingers to line the dish with the pastry.
4. Cover lightly with cling film and set back in the fridge with you roll out the top crust.
5. Roll out the second small disk similarly to cover the pie.
6. Remove the prepared pie dish from the fridge and fill with the apple pie filling which should be completely cool and free of liquid by now. ( Do this only when ready to bake, to prevent a soggy crust).
7. Gently cover the filled pie dish with the top crust.
8. Press the pastry all around the rim of the pie dish and cut away any excess with kitchen scissors.
9. Use your thumb and forefinger to create ‘fluted’ edges OR seal all the way around with a fork.
10. Make a few slits on the surface, aesthetically.
11. Brush lightly with the egg wash.
12. If you are not going to bake immediately, keep everything refrigerated till it’s time to do so. Brush with egg wash only before placing in the oven.
13. Bake 40 – 50 minutes or till the crust is golden brown.
14. Rest the pie on a wire rack till time to serve. At least a couple of hours. The cooled crust will be flakier and crisper and the filling will be just glazed enough without being ‘wet’.

Apple Pie

 

Notes:

• Traditional apple pies, use only granny smith apples. This might prove too crisp and tart a filling for many. Using a combination of apples gives better texture as well as balance in flavors.
• Cooking the apples before baking helps the flavors to develop and to prevent an air pocket from being created over the filling later. It also keeps the pie from getting soggy due to too much liquid.
• Using very cold ingredients for the pie crust, (Butter, flour sugar). ensures a very flaky crust. If using iced water, in which you have added ice cubes, make sure that no ice falls into the processor. The amount of water will vary. Stop processing the flour as soon as it holds together.
• Instead of covering the pie completely, you may choose to add a lattice top or even crumb topping.
• Depending on your oven, you may cover the edges of the pie with 3 ” Aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. Remove during the last 15 minutes of baking.

For a crumb topping, halve the crust recipe to use only for the bottom crust.

Then combine the following:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cups all-purpose flour

• Combine butter, brown sugar, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Scrunch with fingers and palms until large crumbs form. Place bowl in freezer →10 minutes.
• Sprinkle this crumb topping over apples and bake until topping is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Key Ingredients: Apple, Flour, Butter, Sugar, Spices, Egg, Cream.

Let us know if you tried it – Apple Pie.