A double crust of crisp pastry around a thick filling of cinnamon-rich apple wedges, with a classic lattice on top. The dish behind the saying ‘as American as apple pie’, and at its best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
American apple pie
American apple pie
Method
01
Make the pastry
Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Quickly rub the very cold butter through with your fingertips or a pastry cutter to coarse crumbs with visible pieces of butter. Add the ice-cold water little by little until the dough just comes together. Divide into two discs, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
02
Make the filling
Mix the apple wedges with both kinds of sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and salt. Leave to stand for 15 minutes so the apples release some moisture.
03
Line the base
Roll out one half of the pastry and line a pie dish. Trim off excess pastry, leaving a small overhang.
04
Fill
Spoon the apple filling into the dish, with any juices left behind.
05
Make the lattice
Roll out the second half of the pastry and cut into strips. Weave a classic lattice from them over the filling, or simply cover with one whole sheet of pastry with a few slits in it for the steam.
06
Finish
Press the edges closed and crimp decoratively. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
07
Bake
Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower to 175 °C and bake for another 30–35 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling bubbles thickly through the openings.
08
Rest
Leave to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing, so the filling can set.
09
Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature, classically with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips & notes
Work with very cold butter and even cold water with ice cubes in it; warm butter melts into the dough and gives a tough rather than a flaky, crisp crust. Mix different apple varieties (sweet and tart) for the best balance of flavour; all the same apple gives a flat, one-dimensional filling. Keep the pie covered at room temperature on the first day and then for up to 3 days in the fridge; it also freezes well.
Variations
- Add 100 g of cranberries for a festive, tart twist around the holidays.
- Make a crumble topping of flour, butter and sugar instead of the pastry lattice for a Dutch-American hybrid.
Contains:
Gluten
Eggs
Milk
Serve with
| Calories | 559 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 83 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
