Is there anything better than apple pie? I don’t think so. That flaky, buttery pastry combined with tart apples is just the perfect fall or holiday treat. And most of the time they come with a pretty decoration which makes them not only satisfying to eat but also to look at.
I was – and still am – always a little intimidated by making a pie. I find it quite challenging to make a pie crust that can be handled well without falling apart and at the same time isn’t overworked, so it loses its flaky texture. Also, there is that soggy bottom every baker is afraid of …
But it’s outside your comfort zone where the magic happens. So I decided to give it another try, and it turned out well.
I am also very impressed by all the decoration possibilities. Most of my inspiration comes from all the talented bakers filling my Instagram feed with beautiful pictures of their pie art. this time I decided to try a herringbone pattern. I watched a youtube tutorial before, and I would recommend practicing first with some paper stripes before. I didn’t do that and ended up with my iPad in one hand and the pie in the other while the dough got pretty warm quickly which makes it harder to handle … and you can imagine how my iPad looked like afterward. If you look closely, you’ll see that I didn’t get the pattern 100% right, but I think it’s close enough for the first time.
But of course, you can also do a simple double crust pie (make sure you cut out some holes for the steam to escape) or standard lattice crust.
So don’t be afraid of making your pie. If you follow the recipe step by step, nothing can go wrong.
This apple pie is also a great cake to make in advance. You can freeze it before or after baking. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap first and then foil.
If you want to experiment further, you can replace the apples by other fruit like plums, blueberries, or pears. Although I still think the traditional apple pie is the best!
Love,
Marion
apple pie
A traditional apple pie with a flaky crust and a fruity filling
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 450g butter
- 680g all-purpose flour (type 405)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 150ml ice cold water
- For the filling
- 1500g apples (I recommend golden delicious)
- 100g sugar
- 60g butter
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- For the egg wash
- 1 egg
Directions
- Step 1 Cut butter in 1×1 cm pieces and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2 Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Step 3 Add the butter and rub it in by hand (make sure they are cold) or with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer on lowest speed. If you have a food processor, just pulse several times until combines. There should still be pieces of butter but no more than the size of a small pea. Work quickly, so the dough doesn’t get warm or overworked.
- Step 4 Mix the egg with the cold water and add to the mixture until the dough holds together when you press it between your finger (it should still be crumbly).
- Step 5 Drop half the dough onto a plastic wrap, form a disc and wrap it up tightly. Repeat with the remaining dough and chill in the fridge overnight (at least 3-4 hours).
- Step 6 For the filling peel and core the apples and slice each half into three wedges.
- Step 7 Combine apple slices with sugar, butter, lemon juice, and cinnamon. In a pan, cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Uncover, lower the heat and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the water evaporates.
- Step 8 Let apples cool completely.
- Step 9 Preheat oven to 250°C and grease pie shell (20cm).
- Step 10 Remove one dough disk from the fridge and place on lightly floured work surface. Roll dough ½ cm thick and transfer carefully to the pie shell.
- Step 11 Fill pie shell with cooled apple filling.
- Step 12 Roll remaining dough ½ cm thick and make any cake decoration you like. There is a great tutorial for the herringbone lattice here. Make sure your work quickly because you don’t want the dough to become warm.
- Step 13 Whisk egg and egg wash the top crust. you can sprinkle with sugar if you like.
- Step 14 Place in the fridge for another hour.
- Step 15 Turn your oven to 190°C and bake on the bottom rack until golden, about 1 hour.
- Step 16 Remove from the oven and serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.
