For the pastry : 255g / 9oz plain flour A pinch of salt 140g / 5oz of hard margarine or butter 6 teaspoons of cold water For the filling : 3 large Bramley cooking apples, chopped, stewed and cooled Sugar to taste Caster sugar to serve
With the apple tree offering a generous haul this year what could be a better idea than making a good old apple pie. Bearing in mind I lost the pie plate and used a slightly larger pie dish it was still ok. So gather all the equipment and ingredients you will need together and lets go. 20cm pie plate, chopping board, knife, mixing bowl, dough blender, measuring spoons and a sieve.
Preheat the oven to 200c, 400f or gas mark 6. Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in the margarine or butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the cold water to the mixture and using a knife or dough blender mix the water into the flour. Use your hand to firm up the mixture. The pastry should be an even colour and suitable for rolling.
Divide the pastry into 2 halves. Roll one half out so that it will cover an 8″ / 20cm enamel or aluminium plate, trim around the edge of the plate with a knife.
Cover the pastry with the stewed apples and add sugar to taste. Now roll out the other half of the pastry, moisten the edge of the bottom layer of pastry and place the other layer on top, pressing down on the pastry edges using your finger and thumb to make sure they are sealed. Trim off any excess pastry around the dge of the plate with a knife.
Prick the surface of the pastry before placing the pie in the oven and cooking for 20-30 minutes. When the pie is ready it should move on the plate when shaken. Now transfer it to a serving plate and if desired sprinkle with caster sugar and serve.