Homemade Apple Pie
A simple homemade Apple Pie made with my Mum's rich, sweet shortcrust pastry and chunks of apple, lightly spiced with cinnamon. There's no need to pre-cook the apples or blind bake the pastry - everything bakes together for an easy British Apple Pie with crisp pastry and a soft, saucy apple filling.
PRINT RECIPE
Servings: 8 slices
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry
- 250 g Block Margarine or Butter (at room temperature; plus extra for greasing)
- 125 g Caster Sugar (plus extra for finishing)
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
- 500 g Plain Flour (plus extra for dusting)
For the Filling
- 1 kg Apples (approx. 8 medium apples; peeled and cored)
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
EQUIPMENT
- Peeler
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pastry:
- In a large bowl, cream the butter/margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix through.
- Sift in the flour and combine until the pastry comes together - you may need to use your hands!
- Wrap the pastry in
cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour while you prepare the apples.
For the Filling:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F) and grease a 20cm (8 inch) loose-bottom pie tin with some extra butter/margarine before dusting it with a little extra flour. Set aside.
- Peel and core your apples before roughly chopping into large bite-sized pieces. Set aside - there is no need to pre-cook the apples.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and
cornflour . Set aside. - Take the chilled pastry dough from the fridge and remove about ⅓, setting it aside for the top of the pie. On a lightly floured surface, roll the rest of the pastry dough into a large circle until it is a few centimetres larger than the diameter of your tart tin (around 26-28cm / 10-11 inches).
- Gently lift the pastry into the prepared tin, pressing it into the edges and leaving a small amount of overhang.
- Add your apples on top of the pastry, ensuring they are evenly distributed, and sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apples.
- Roll your remaining pastry dough until it is large enough to cover your pie. Wet the edges of your pie with a little water before transferring the pastry lid to the top, pressing the edges together to seal the pie.
- Trim the edges of the pastry, then poke a few holes in the top with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape while baking.
- Bake in your preheated oven for around 40-50 minutes, until golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and finish with a sprinkle of extra
caster sugar while still hot. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving while still a little warm.
Don't worry if the pastry cracks or breaks - simply use any offcuts to patch up any breaks or holes.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Apples: You can use virtually any variety of apple for this recipe, including eating or cooking apples, or a mixture of both. Different varieties will naturally give slightly different flavours and textures. If your apples are particularly tart, you can add a little extra sugar to taste.
Butter or Margarine: I use either unsalted butter or block margarine for this pastry. If using margarine, make sure it is a firm block rather than a soft spreadable margarine, as the higher water content of spreads can affect the pastry.
Pastry: For the best results, chill the pastry for around 1 hour before rolling. If it cracks or tears when lining the tin, simply patch it with a little spare pastry - it's very forgiving.
Cornflour: Cornflour is called cornstarch in the US. It helps thicken the juices released by the apples as they bake, giving you a saucy rather than watery filling.
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