An apple pie is one of the most delicious desserts. Served hot or cold, apple pie is the perfect dessert to be enjoyed at any get-together. The pie is not too heavy on calories and with a few simple ingredients, you can fix up this dessert for family and friends. The sweetness of the apples combined with spices makes this dessert one of the best. Read on to learn how to make an apple pie that would woo your palette.
Complexity level: Basic
Time required: 55-70 minutes
Estimated cost: $1-$2
Resources required:
- 4 to 6 baking apples
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup white sugar,
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon
- 2 tablespoon softened butter
- Rolling pin
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Pie dish
- Water
Instructions:
1. Make the crust
- Take a large bowl, add 2 cups of flour and 3/4 cup butter.
- With the electric blender (with the lowest setting), beat it together with enough water to get a thick batter. Continue till you get a moist dough consistency and then make shape like balls.
- Divide the ball into 2 equal halves. Place them on a work top dusted with flour and roll them out to about 3mm thickness. Roll out one of the dough balls a bit bigger than the other.
- Place the larger rolled dough into the pie dish carefully and press it down against the bottom and edges. Cut off any excess pastry hanging outside.
- Place in the refrigerator.
2. Make the filling
- Clean the apples under running water. Peel, core and slice them into medium size pieces.
- Place the apples, remaining flour, white sugar, brown sugar, spices and lemon juice into another large bowl and mix well to combine. Make sure the apples are evenly coated with the mixture.
- Take the pie dish out of the refrigerator and pour the apple mixture onto it. Smoothen this mixture evenly as possible.
- Brush the apple slices with 2 table spoons of softened butter.
3. Covering
- Using the second rolled out dough, cover the pie filling. Pinch the two crusts together and trim off any excess dough hanging around the sides.
- Make several cuts on the top of the pie for steam while baking. This can be done with either a fork or knife. However, be gentle.
- Brush some melted butter on top of the pie crust for a golden color.
4. Baking and serving
- Heat the oven to 375ºF (approximately 10 minutes) and center a rack in the middle.
- Place the apple pie in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes to an hour or till the pie crust lets out a nice golden color.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with some vanilla ice cream or some plain custard on the side.
Frequently asked questions
Are there any particular type of apples specifically for apple pie?
Any firm apple is good, but preferably varieties like Macintosh, Bramley or Granny Smith. These are tart but sweet varieties, perfect for apple pies.
Will store bought crust be fine to use?
Absolutely. They are in fact a huge time saver. You just need to thaw it well in advance before using them. Then follow instructions and do accordingly.
Quick tips:
1. If the dough is not too firm to roll out, place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Now, rolling it would be easy.
2. Brushing the butter on the pie top or even doing an egg wash is the best way to get that golden brown color a pie is known for.
3. With left over crust that you cut off from the edges, make small designs of leaves or diamonds and stick on top for novelty.
4. If you want a smoother texture for your apple pie then make the apple slices thinner and smaller.
Things to watch out for:
1. Overworking the dough will cause it to toughen. The lesser work done on it, the more flakier it would be.
2. Chopped up apples might turn brown in color. To avoid that, squeeze some lime over it and toss well.
3. Go easy on the sugar as it can make the pie watery.
4. While rolling out the dough, add enough flour on the work surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Also the dough is very fine, it might tear while transferring into the pie dish.
