A small double-crust apple pie with a gently spiced filling, ideal for stored cooking and eating apples.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 55 minutes | Total: 130 minutes
Times include the chilling, soaking or resting stated in the method. Cooking times are a guide: check tenderness and doneness before serving.
Ingredients
250 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
125 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
25 g caster sugar for pastry
45–60 ml cold water
650 g apples, peeled, cored and sliced, prepared weight
60 g caster sugar for filling, adjusted to the apples
15 g cornflour
15 ml lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
15 ml milk for glazing
Method
Rub butter into flour until crumbly, stir in 25 g sugar, then add just enough cold water to bring together. Form into a disc, cover and chill for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan with a baking tray inside.
Toss apples with the filling sugar, cornflour, lemon and cinnamon. A mixture of cooking and firm eating apples gives texture.
Roll two-thirds of the pastry on a floured surface and line a 20 cm pie dish about 4 cm deep. Add the filling, mounding slightly.
Roll the remaining pastry for the lid. Dampen the rim with water, lay on the lid and press edges together. Trim, crimp and cut two steam slits. Brush with milk.
Put on the hot tray and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180°C conventional / 160°C fan for 35 minutes, until golden and the apples are tender. Cover edges with foil if browning too quickly.
Rest for 15 minutes before dividing into four portions. Total time includes chilling and this rest.
Variations and substitutions
Use 400 g apples and 250 g pears for a mixed pie. Swap cinnamon for a little ground ginger. Dairy-free baking block and plant milk can replace butter and milk. For very tart Bramleys you may need a little more sugar.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Use stored apples or sound windfalls promptly. Cut away bruises generously and discard mouldy fruit. Frozen prepared apple slices can be thawed in the fridge and drained before weighing.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below; eat within 48 hours. Freeze without cream, yoghurt or custard in labelled portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once until piping hot throughout if serving warm. Pastry will soften after chilling or freezing; reheat in the oven to improve the texture.
Find more ideas in the complete recipe menu. Explore our growing guide finder and From Garden to Kitchen guide, or plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating ingredients or a serving idea. These recipes are practical ideas to try; they are not presented as all having been tested in my kitchen.
