Apple Pie

I spent a lot of time in the test kitchen making many versions to bring you the best apple pie recipe! I tested; different apples, different spices, different pastry toppings, with and without butter in the sauce, even different pie dishes! I persevered (and ate a lot of pie).

This deep-dish apple pie is filled with lots of layers of apple and warming winter spices. The mixture of apples ensures a sweet and tangy apple pie and just enough sauce to make it saucy, without that dreaded soggy bottom.

Ingredients:

• 3 x 320g (3x 11.2oz) rolls shortcrust pastry
• 5 large cooking apples
• 3 sweet eating apples such as Jazz or pink lady
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 150 g (¾ cup) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 small egg lightly whisked

Topping:

• 1 tbsp coarse brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F
2. Unroll two of the rolls of pastry. Line a deep pie dish (mine is 24cm diameter by 5.5cm deep) with the pastry. Don’t worry about there being a line where the two pieces of pastry meet – just squish them together. You should have some pastry left over. Save this for the top of pie.
3. Place the pastry-lined dish in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.
4. Peel and core the apples, then slice into ½cm thick slices.
5. Place the apples in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
6. Add the flour, cornflour, cinnamon, mixed spice and cloves and toss together to coat the apples. The flour will help you get a thick sauce in the apple pie.
7. Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract.
8. Arrange the apple mixture into the waiting pie dish. Try to arrange carefully, rather than just emptying them in the pie dish – you want to pack the apple slices, rather than have gaps.
Use a sharp knife to trim any pastry that may hanging over the edge of the pastry dish.
9. Brush the edge of the pastry with the egg wash.
10. Unroll the 3rd roll of pastry and slice into long strips, about 1.5-2cm wide. Slice the leftover pastry from the second roll too (these can be shorter strips, for the edges of the pie lattice).
11. To make the lattice, arrange strips vertically over the pie, leaving a ½cm gap in between each strip.
12. Fold back every other strip that you’ve just laid and place a horizontal strip of pastry across the top of the pie. Layer the strips of pastry you folded back into place, so it looks like you’ve weaved it together.
13. Repeat, folding back the strips of pastry that that weren’t folded back previously. Layer another horizontal strip of pastry on top, leaving a ½cm gap between that strip and the previous strip. Place the folded back pastry back into place.
Continue this way, weaving the pastry, until the whole pie is covered.
14. Use a knife to trim off any pastry overhang. Then brush all exposed pastry with egg wash.
15. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top of the pie.
16. Place in the oven to bake for 55-60 minutes, until the pastry turns deep golden brown. If the pie starts to look too brown after the first 30 minutes, gently cover in foil. If covering in foil, cook for the full 60 minutes.
17. Remove from oven, cool for 15 minutes before slicing.