Apple pie

The perfect apple pie – quite simply the best I’ve ever tasted. This apple pie features an exceptional buttery pastry (a new favourite on the blog!) with a texture and flavour remarkably similar to puff pastry. It flakes beautifully and resembles a quick, shortcut version of traditional puff pastry. Filled with plenty of apples, delicately spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and with no need to pre-bake the crust, this pie is truly special. The pastry requires careful handling and attention to detail, but the result is absolutely worth it. You simply have to try it!

Ingredients for the pastry:

• 2¼ cups plain flour
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• a large pinch of salt
• 230 g butter, cut into 2.5–3 cm cubes
• ½ cup ice-cold water

Place the flour, icing sugar, salt and butter into a food processor. Pulse briefly several times. Small pieces of butter should still be clearly visible throughout the mixture. Do not over-process or blend until smooth. These visible pieces of butter are what create the pastry’s flaky, puff pastry-like texture. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with visible butter pieces. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

(Alternatively, the pastry can be made by hand. Place the flour, icing sugar, salt and butter into a bowl and quickly cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a knife, keeping small pieces of butter visible throughout.)

Remove the chilled mixture from the refrigerator. Add the ice-cold water and quickly bring the dough together by hand, mixing only until it forms a cohesive ball. Do not knead. Divide the dough into two equal portions, flatten each into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 60–90 minutes or overnight.

Ingredients for the apple filling:

• 1.3–1.4 kg firm, tart apples, sliced fairly thickly
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• ¼ cup sugar (or more, depending on the sweetness of the apples)
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Place all the filling ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and leave for 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Additionally:

• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for glazing
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Assembly:

Grease and flour a deep pie dish that widens towards the top (approximately 20 cm across the base and 28 cm across the top). Roll out one portion of the chilled pastry and line the base and sides of the dish. Fill with the prepared apple mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry and place it over the apples. Seal the edges of the top and bottom crusts together. Using a sharp knife, cut a small slit in the centre of the pastry lid to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush the top with the beaten egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake at 180°C for approximately 70 minutes, until deeply golden brown. For best results, bake the pie at 200°C for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C for the remainder of the baking time. If your oven allows, use bottom heat only for the final 10 minutes to ensure a crisp, fully baked base.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Adapted from a recipe published on Bon Appétit.