Rav Gill Apple pie
The pie crust here is something really special. It’s so easy to put together but the result is the flakiest, most addictive pastry you’ll eat. There’s no faff around making folds either, the high butter quantity and keeping it COLD contributes to a really excellent texture. Here i’m housing the pie crust with a traditional sweet apple cinnamon filling paired best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or custard. The cornflour mixed through the filling helps to absorb the liquid and thicken it whilst it bakes, if you were to change the fruit keep the cornflour in and make sure the fruit you chose isn’t too ‘wet’ as it will soak through the bottom.
Makes 1 x 8 inch pie x 2inch height
Ingredients
225g strong white flour
175g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
15g caster sugar
5g fine salt
70ml ice cold water
2tbsp milk, for brushing
1tbsp demerrera sugar for sprinkling
375g braeburn apple, after peeling and coring
90g golden caster sugar sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2.5 tbsp cornflour
Make the pastry:
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, salt and sugar together.
Add in the butter and mix until the butter had formed breadcrumbs, you still want to be able to see some chunks of butter.
Add in the water in one go and mix quickly to form a dough.
Tip the dough out onto your work surface and bring together with your hands.
Wrap tightly in cling film and place in the fridge to firm up, about 4 hours.
Make the filling
Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into 1cm cubes.
Coat the apples in the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour
Set aside whilst you prepare the pie case
Prepare and bake
Grease the pie dish or cake tin with butter
Gently knead the cold dough a bit, cut ⅓ off and keep aside for the top. and roll out to 4mm, grease an 8 inch pie case or closed bottom cake tin.
Line the tin with the pastry, leaving a bit of an overhang. Keep the scraps if you have any and add this to the ⅓ for the top. Put this in the fridge whilst you prepare the top
Roll the rest of the pastry to 4mm and cut a lattice or leave whole, put in the fridge to chill for 15 mins
Once the case and top are cold, add the apple mixture and top with the lid. If the top is being left whole, pierce a hole in the top. Return to the fridge
Heat the oven to 200 degrees fan/ 220 oven. Put a heavy baking tray in the oven to heat up, it works best on the bottom shelf of the oven
Brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle the sugar on the top
Bake for 50 minutes- 1 hour until golden brown (put the pie directly on the hot tray)
Allow to cool slightly before serving with ice cream, custard or cream