Apple Pie
a buttery, flaky crust with a sweet apple filling
Ingredients
For the crust
- 200 g [1 2/3 cups] all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 g [1/2 cup] butter
- 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
For the apple filling
- 2-3 large apples
- 1/2 cup castor sugar
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- juice of half an orange [optional]
Instructions
For the crust
- Measure and sift the flour and add it in a large bowl along with the salt.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add it in the flour. Make sure the butter is straight out of the fridge and cold.
- Using your hands, break the cubes and work them into the flour. Press the butter between your finger and rub it in. It is important to use clean and dry hands at this stage
- When your dough has a sandy texture, add the ice cold water.
- Now, mix the dough with a knife. This helps cuts through the dough as you mix.
- After 1 minute or so, clump together a small amount of dough and if it holds without breaking apart, it does not need any more water
- However, if it doesn’t hold together its shape, slowly add ice water, 1tbsp at a time, and form a dough.
- Work the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes before using.
To make the crust-
- Peel and slice up the apples and place them in a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, lemon and orange juice into the bowl.
- Mix everything together until well combined.
- Leave this to rest for 15-30minutes, so that the apples absorb all the flavor.
To assemble
- Take out the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal parts.
- Roll out one part to the size of your pie dish.
- Place this dough on the bottom of your pie dish and fill the dish with the apple filling.
- You can use the second part of the dough to roll out another disc and cover your pie. You can also cut it in slices and make a checkboard pattern or a lattice.
- Beat up one egg into a bowl, whisk it lightly and brush it on top of the crust before baking. If you're vegetarian, use malai, or milk to brush on top the crust. This gives it a golden top
- Bake the pie at 200ºC for 40-45 minutes.
- Leave the pie to cool for 30 minutes before cutting it. This helps the pie to hold its shape.
- It is served best with vanilla icecream.
Notes
- This recipe is for a 12 inch pie tin. Make sure you half or double the recipe according to your pie tin size.
- While making the dough, it is important that the butter is cold throughout the process [and the flour too, preferably], otherwise the butter will start to melt.
- It is also important to rest the dough in the fridge
- Be careful while adding the cinnamon. If you are not a fan, make sure to taste after adding ½ tsp.
- It is important to add the flour to the filling as well, as it helps the crust from getting soggy, so do not skip it out.
- · The orange juice is completely optional, it just gives the mixture a tang and helps enhance the flavor.