Classic Apple Pie with Shortcrust Pastry

Shortcrust pastry

• 320 g Plain flour
• ½ tsp Fine sea salt
• 25 g Caster sugar
• 200 g Unsalted butter, cold
• 1 Egg
• 45 ml Water, ice cold

Apple filling

• 900 g Apple, firm, tart-sweet
• 120 g Light brown sugar
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 medium Lemon
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 25 g Plain flour
• 20 g Unsalted butter

To finish

• 1 Egg
• 10 g Caster sugar

1. Put the flour, salt and caster sugar in a mixing bowl. Rub in the cold butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, then mix in 1 egg. Add the ice-cold water a little at a time until the dough just comes together.
2. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger for the base. Shape into discs, cover and chill for 45 minutes. This rest helps the pastry roll without shrinking.
3. Meanwhile, peel, core and slice the apples. Put them in a saucepan with the light brown sugar, cinnamon, the juice of the lemon, vanilla and the flour. Cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the apples are just starting to soften and the juices look glossy.
4. Tip the filling into a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature so it does not melt the pastry. Stir in the butter so it melts through the warm apples. Set aside while you roll the pastry.
5. Heat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Roll the larger disc of pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 23 cm pie dish, leaving a little overhang. Chill the lined dish for 10 minutes to firm up.
6. Spoon the cooled apple filling into the pastry case and level it out. Roll the remaining pastry into a lid and lay it over the top. Trim and crimp the edges to seal, then cut a few small slits in the centre for steam to escape.
7. Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the lid, then sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C (355°F) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents. If the edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil.
8. Cool the pie on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing so the filling sets. Serve warm or at room temperature. For neat slices, let it cool fully.

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