Apple Pie

Just got my son off to play group, now it’s time for some baking. This week it’s Apple Pie!

Unfortunately I am starting todays recipe with a problem. Not enough all-purpose flour! However I do have some left over self-raising flour so I decided to take a chance and use what I needed of that to make up the right amount. Luckily though that was not too much.

As usual the photos, recipe and instructions are below, however take note that where it says 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, in this apple pie I used 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and 1 cup of self-raising flour to make up the difference. However I would not recommend using more than 1 cup of self-raising flour to substitute as it will most likely affect the baking a little too much.

‘draining the apple juice’

‘pie crust filled with apples slices’

‘my lattice crust’

Short Crust Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup ice water

Apple Filling:

• 6 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon corn flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter,diced

 

Making the pastry

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar until combined. Add the butter and mix until mixtures resembles course meal. Pour 1/2 cup ice water slowly and mix until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, you can add 2 tablespoons of water but do not over mix it.

Turn the dough unto your work surface and form into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a plate shape, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour before using. This will chill the butter and helps relax the gluten in the flour.

After the dough has chilled, remove one portion of the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a circle, always roll from the center of the pastry outwards (to prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and ensure uniform thickness), keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll. Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to fit the pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator.

Making the apple filling:

In a large bowl combine the sliced apples, sugars, lemon juice, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon and salt. Let the apples marinade at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then, place the apples and their juices in a strainer over a large bowl (to capture the juices). Let the apples drain for about 30 minutes or until you have at least 1/2 cup of its juice. Put the collected juices in a non-stick pan together with 2 tablespoons of butter and bring to boil over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until the liquid becomes syrupy and lightly caramelized.

Meanwhile, get the top pastry crust from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes so it has time to soften and become pliable. Transfer the drained apples sliced to a large bowl and mix them with the cornflour. Then pour the syrup over the apples and toss to combine. Pour the apples and their syrup into the chilled pie crust.

Making the lattice Pastry:

Roll the top pastry into a 13 inch circle. Using a pastry wheel, cut the pastry into 2 cm strips. Place the strips of pastry on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Once the bottom crust is filled with the apple slices, add the diced butter on top of the apples. Remove the lattice pastry from the refrigerator and, starting at the center with the longest strips and working outwards, space the strips about 2 cm apart. Use the shortest pastry strips at the outer edges. Then, rotate pie tin a quarter turn, and repeat the process with the rest of the strips. Weave the top strips over and under the bottom strips. Trim the edges of the strips, leaving an inch overhang.

Tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust and then crimp the edges using a fork. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill the pastry while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking sheet in the rack before preheating the oven.

Set the pie on the baking sheet and bake about 45-55 minutes until the apples feel tender when a toothpick is inserted comes out clean.

Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool down for about 2 hours before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

tips: Cover the edges of the pie with a foil ring to prevent over browning after about 30 minutes.

note: If you follow my pastry ingredients which has both the self-raising flour and all-purpose flour, use a pinch of salt instead of a quarter teaspoon of salt since the self-raising flour contains salt already.

The Result

After baking my apple pie (let it cool down to an hour or so before cutting) it looks lovely but I wasn’t so sure how it will taste after using the substituted flour. Good news is it tastes great, I know this because my hubby ate 3/4 of it!

happy baking! 🙂