How to make apple pie with fresh apples and spices.
Apple pie comes in many different shapes, flavours and sizes, which is not surprising really, since the first English recipes for apple pie date back to the late 14th century. Since then, the apple pie has been adopted by almost every country in the world and sits highly in the rankings for people's most favourite dessert.
The popularity of the apple pie is immense. It is not a particularly delicate or fancy dish, yet it may be found on the sweet menu of almost every restaurant, even the most stylish and expensive.
After having eaten a two-course meal and feeling significantly stuffed, swearing that not another morsel of food will pass our lips, many of us can still be tempted by a small piece of apple pie to satisfyingly round off our meal.
The popularity of the apple pie is immense. It is not a particularly delicate or fancy dish, yet it may be found on the sweet menu of almost every restaurant, even the most stylish and expensive.
After having eaten a two-course meal and feeling significantly stuffed, swearing that not another morsel of food will pass our lips, many of us can still be tempted by a small piece of apple pie to satisfyingly round off our meal.
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Apple pie traditionally consists of a two-crust pastry that is filled with a sweet mixture of apples, sugar and spices.
In some recipes however, there is no pastry crust on the bottom and the filling is just covered by a single crust of pastry over the top. For pastry lovers, the former is probably the most appealing.
Apple pie may be served on its own, hot or cold, but you would be missing out if you didn't have a scoop of vanilla ice cream or double cream on the side, or even better, lashings of warm and creamy custard poured over the top.
A number of recipes call for the use of cooking apples such as Bramleys, yet if you do not have any to hand, other varieties of apple will suffice.
Below are two easy recipes for apple pie. The first is for a traditional one- crust apple pie, made with shortcrust pastry and the second is for a double-crust apple pie, made from rich sweetcrust pastry, a sweetened and richer version of shortcrust (see our guide to shortcrust pastry).
In some recipes however, there is no pastry crust on the bottom and the filling is just covered by a single crust of pastry over the top. For pastry lovers, the former is probably the most appealing.
Apple pie may be served on its own, hot or cold, but you would be missing out if you didn't have a scoop of vanilla ice cream or double cream on the side, or even better, lashings of warm and creamy custard poured over the top.
A number of recipes call for the use of cooking apples such as Bramleys, yet if you do not have any to hand, other varieties of apple will suffice.
Below are two easy recipes for apple pie. The first is for a traditional one- crust apple pie, made with shortcrust pastry and the second is for a double-crust apple pie, made from rich sweetcrust pastry, a sweetened and richer version of shortcrust (see our guide to shortcrust pastry).
Traditional apple pie
Traditional apple pie
Recipe description
This traditional apple recipe is popular with many, with its tasty apple mix surrounded by sweet crust pastry. The pastry is traditional shortcrust with the addition of sugar for extra sweetness.Traditionally the pie is decorated with diamond-shaped leaves made from the leftover pastry or you can make your own design if you are feeling more adventurous.
Serves: 2-4 persons
Items required
- 9 inch (23cm) pie tin
- pastry roller (rolling pin)
- sharp knife or pastry blender (if not using pre-made pastry)
- sieve (if not using pre-made pastry)
- large bowl
- pastry brush
- cling film or polythene bag
Ingredients
For the sweetcrust pastry
- 12oz (340g) of plain flour
- 6oz (225g) of butter
- 3 - 4 tbsp of iced water
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1 tsp of salt
For the filling
- 3lb (1.4kg) of apples
- 5oz (140g) of brown sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
To glaze
- 1 lightly beaten egg
Recipe instructions
Prepare the shortcrust pastry
(skip to step 4 if using pre-made)- Holding the sieve high over the bowl sift the flour, caster sugar and salt into the bowl. Add the butter cut into small lumps into the flour and using a knife cut the butter into the flour. This stage can also be done using a food processor. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add 1 tbsp of water and use a knife to mix the dough. Repeat until the dough starts to cling to the knife then use your hand to form a ball of dough. Knead the dough then wrap in cling film or place in a polythene bag and leave to rest in a refrigerator.
- Remove the dough from the fridge at least 15 minutes before use.
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 425°F (220°C / Gas mark 7).
- Wash, peel and core the apples and then cut them into think slices. Place them in a bowl, add the lemon juice, cinnamon and most of the sugar and mix all the ingredients together.
- Separate the pastry dough into two chunks and roll the first piece out so that it is slightly larger than the pie dish.
- Roll the pastry lightly around the rolling pin and then unroll it over the pie dish, dropping into position in the base of the dish.
- Layer the apples on top of the pastry, packing more into the middle area rather than at the sides.
- Brush the edge of the pastry with water. Roll out the second piece of pastry and place over the top, sealing the two layers of pastry together by pressing them down on them. Trim the edges with a knife.
- Cut slits in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape and use excess pastry to decorate.
- Brush the top of the pastry with the glaze of beaten egg and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top.
- Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. After this time, turn the heat down to 350°F (175°C / Gas mark 4) and cook for a further 45 minutes.
- When the pastry is golden brown in colour, remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool.
- Serve warm or cold.
For those who do not like a lot of pastry or would prefer something with a few less calories this recipe is ideal.
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