Classic Apple Pie
How to make a Classic Apple Pie, using our company’s sweet pastry recipe. As always, easy step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- Pastry:
- 230g / 8oz Plain or All-purpose flour
- 45g / 1½oz Icing or Powdered sugar
- 100g / 3½oz Cold Butter
- 1 Large Egg (beaten)
- 2g / pinch of Salt
- Zest of an Orange (optional)
- Filling:
- 650g / 23oz Apples (I use Gala)
- 30g / 1oz Sugar
- 15g / ½oz Butter
- 1g / ½tsp Ground Cinnamon
- Freshly grated Nutmeg
- Juice of one small Lemon
- I small Egg and a dash of milk whisked vigorously (For egg-wash)
- Making the pastry:
- By far the best way to make this sweet pastry is to use a food processor. It’s very quick and easy, but more importantly, it keeps all the ingredients cold, which is essential when making shortcrust pastry.
- Add the flour, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and salt to your food processor, pulse the machine until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency, this should take about 40 seconds.
- While the processor is running, drizzle in the beaten egg until it all comes together, once again this should only take about 40 seconds.
- Divide your pastry into 2 pieces, 250g for the base of the pie, and the rest for the lid of the pie, flatten each piece into a circle, wrap them in cling film, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Making the filling:
- Wash, peel, core and cut the apples into 12mm / ½inch pieces and coat them in lemon juice. (see the video for the apple varieties I use in the video)
- Sprinkle the sugar into a hot frying pan or wok, and allow the sugar to melt.
- Once melted and golden brown, carefully add the apples to the pan, toss and stir fry them for 2 minutes.
- Add the spices and continue tossing and stir frying the apples.
- Once the apples are coated with spices, add the butter and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
- Carefully get the cooked apple filling into a bowl, cover with cling film, allow to cool.
- Assembling the pie:
- For this recipe you’ll need a greased 20cm / 8in pie tin, see the video for the tin I use in this recipe.
- Roll out the base pastry to a 25cm / 10inch circle.
- Once rolled out, roll it onto you rolling pin.
- Unroll the pastry onto the greased pie tin leaving plenty hanging over the edge of the tin.
- Carefully tuck the pastry down into the corners of the tin with your fingers.
- Using a spare piece of pastry, gently press it down into the corners of the tin where the side meets the base.
- Using a fork, prick lots of holes in the pastry base, (see the video) this is called docking the pastry.
- Add the apple filling and level it off with a spatula.
- At this point, preheat your oven to 160°C / 320°F / Gas mark 3.
- Roll out the other piece of pastry, 3mm thick once more, roll it up onto the rolling pin once more.
- Brush some egg-wash all around the lip of the pastry base.
- Line up and unroll the pastry lid over top of the pie base.
- Gently press down the edges with the palm of your hands.
- Using your forefingers and thumbs, crimp all around the edge of the pie, (see the video for this technique).
- Trim off the excess pastry, and re-crimp to tidy it all up.
- Cut 2 or 3 vent holes in the middle of the pie lid.
- Brush the whole top surface with the egg-wash.
- Sprinkle sugar over the top of the pie.
- Get the pie into the preheated oven, bake for 45 minutes.
- Once done, remove it from the oven, allow it rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Get it out of the pie tin, slice and serve hot with vanilla ice cream.
- Enjoy.
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
