Apple pie
A double-crust pie with flaky butter pastry and a thick filling of sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon.
Method
- 1
Mix the flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and the salt in a large bowl, then add the cold butter.
- 2
Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mix looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
- 3
Sprinkle in the iced water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a table knife, until the dough just holds together when squeezed.
- 4
Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger, flatten each into a disc, wrap and chill.
- 5
Peel, core and slice the apples about 5 mm thick, then toss them with the sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and lemon juice.
- 6
Heat the oven to 220°C with a baking tray on the middle shelf.
- 7
Roll the larger disc on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick and line the pie dish, leaving the excess hanging over the rim.
- 8
Pile in the apples and their juices, mounding them slightly in the centre.
- 9
Roll out the second disc, lay it over the filling, then trim and crimp the edges together to seal.
- 10
Brush the top with beaten egg, scatter with sugar and cut 4 small slits in the centre for steam to escape.
- 11
Set the pie on the hot tray and bake until the pastry starts to colour.
- 12
Lower the oven to 190°C and bake until deep golden, with thick juices bubbling through the slits.
- 13
Cool the pie on a wire rack so the filling can set before slicing.
Notes
- A mix of sharp and sweet apples gives the fullest flavour, and firm varieties keep some shape after baking.
- Keep the butter and water very cold for flaky pastry. If the kitchen is warm, chill the lined dish for 15 minutes before filling.
- If the edges brown too quickly, cover them with strips of foil.
Equipment
23 cm pie dish, Large mixing bowl, Rolling pin, Baking tray, Pastry brush, Wire rack