This Apple Pie with Shortcrust Pastry is generously filled with a mix of dessert and Bramley cooking apples. Add any additional fruit such as frozen or fresh berries and serve with Easy Homemade Custard or vanilla ice cream. This Guide to Different Types of Flour will help you to understand a little more about the Spelt Flour that I used to make the shortcrust pastry. You can also use a mix of plain and wholemeal flour as I did when making this Easy Apple Tart.
Such a simple Homemade Apple Pie with shortcrust Pastry can easily be made by any novice cook and makes a great dessert or pudding during the Autumn months when apples are at their best. Adding a few soft berries such as Blackberries and a dash of ground spice such as cinnamon will add to the flavour. Note: This recipe is adapted from May Berry's Autumn Fruit Pie recipe.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used for making this Apple Pie with Shortcrust Pastry and a few frozen berries. With possible alternatives and why I may have used them.
- Flour - This recipe uses White Spelt Flour but you can use Plain White Flour if you wish.
- Cinnamon - An ideal companion flavour for apples. Optional, not shown in the image.
- Butter and Vegetable Block - I'm using a mix of butter and Trex which is a vegetable block. This combination gives a lovely flaky texture to the pastry. Both need to be fridge cold.
- Fruit - I've used a mix of dessert and cooking apples along with a few frozen berries that I already had in my freezer. You can leave the berries out and replace them with more apples.
- Lemon - The juice prevents the apples from oxidising when sliced.
- Sugar - Soft brown sugar gives a slight toffee flavour to the Apple Pie filling. You can use white caster sugar if you wish.
- Cornflour/Cornstarch - This helps to thicken the juices produced by the fruit and sugar.
See a full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Step By Step Instructions
To make this Apple Pie with shortcrust pastry, grease the base and sides of a 9inch (23cm) ovenproof dish or pie tin with butter. Do not use a loose bottom tin as any leaking juices will run out.
Step 1: Make the Pastry. Place the flour and butter into a large bowl. Incorporate all the butter using the rub in method with your fingertips. Tip: Using a food processor will make the job quicker and easier. Add the water and bring the mixture together until you have a ball of dough with a smooth, putty like texture. Do not overhandle the dough or you will stretch the gluten and the pastry will become tough. Wrap the pastry in baking parchment or cling film, flatten it a little and place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins to rest. While the pastry is resting, place a large baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200c deg (fan assisted oven)
Step 2: Core the apples and slice them thinly about ¼ inch thick. There’s no need to peel them if you don’t want to. Apple skins are a great source of fibre for gut health. Toss the slices of apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. This will help stop the apples from oxidising and going brown.
Step 3: Mix together the Sugar, Corn Flour and Cinnamon if using, then add to the slices of Apple and give everything a good mix taking care not to break up the fruit
Step 4: If adding frozen or fresh berries do so at this stage, and gently mix them with the apples.
Step 5: Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut off just over half the amount. Leave the rest in the fridge. Roll out the pastry into a circle, on a lightly dusted surface, until it measures about 14 inch (36cm). Tip: Rolling between two large sheets of baking parchment will make the job easier and eliminates the need for extra flour. Carefully line the baking dish with pastry. If using a tart tin, this post How To Line A Tart Tin With Pastry will help..
Step 6: Add the Apple and Berry filling and brush the pastry edges with a little milk.
Step 7: Roll out the remaining pastry from the fridge, until it is large enough to cover the top of the Apple Pie. Place the pastry lid over the top of the apples and press firmly around the edges to seal. Crimp the pie edges with a fork or your fingers, and make a small hole in the centre to release the steam during baking.
Roll out and cut any remaining pastry trimmings into leaf shapes and arrange them in a circle around the opening. Brush the pastry top and leaves with milk and scatter with a little caster sugar.
Step 8: Place the pie on the preheated to (200c deg) baking tray and bake for 15 mins. Then reduce the temperature to 160c deg and bake for a further 35 mins or until baked and the pie is golden.
Allow the pie to cool a little before serving. There will be lots of fruit juice, thickened as a result of adding the cornflour. It tastes delicious with Easy Homemade Custard or Vanilla Ice cream.
Storage
- Fridge - This Apple Pie with Shortcrust Pastry will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
- Freeze - Cool completely before freezing. Bring back to room temperature and place in a moderate oven until cooked through.
Cook's Tips
- Tip 1 - Using a food processor to mix together the flour and butter, will make the job quicker and easier.
- Tip 2 - Do not overhandle the dough or you will stretch the gluten and the pastry will become tough.
- Tip 3 - Rolling pastry dough between two large sheets of baking parchment will make the job easier and eliminates the need for extra flour.
- Tip 4 - The shortcrust pastry dough can be made the night before. Leave wrapped in clingfilm, overnight in the fridge. It also freezes really well.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any readymade shortcrust pastry to make a simple apple pie recipe. Try using the all butter version if you can.
You can use a mix of dessert and cooking apples, such as Bramley Apple, to make an apple pie. You may need to add extra sugar if using cooking apples because of the tarte flavour.
Cinnamon, ground mix spice and nutmeg are wonderful companion spices to add to any homemade apple pie filling.
More Pastry Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this> Try these:
If you tried making this Apple Pie with Shortcrust Pastry or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Subscribe to my Newsletter!
Recipe
Apple Pie With Shortcrust Pastry
Equipment
- 1 large baking tray
- 9inch (24cm) round pie dish or pie tin Not loose bottom
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 350 g White Spelt Flour or Plain White Flour
- 100 g fridge cold butter
- 75 g Trex Vegetable baking block
- 5 - 6 tablespoons of very cold water
For the Filling
- 850 grams Apples a mix of dessert and cooking apples
- Juice about half a lemon
- 75 g Soft Brown Sugar
- 3 level tablespoons Corn Flour or Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 200 g frozen or fresh berries such as strawberries and blueberries
Instructions
- Grease the base and sides of a 9inch (23cm) pie dish with butter.
- Make the shortcrust pastry. Place the flour, butter and trex into a large bowl. Incorporate all the butter using the rub in method with your fingertips. Tip: Using a food processor will make the job quicker and easier.350 g White Spelt Flour or Plain White Flour, 100 g fridge cold butter, 75 g Trex
- Add just enough of the water and bring the mixture together until you have a ball of dough with a smooth, putty like texture. Do not over handle the dough or you will stretch the gluten and the pastry will become tough.5 - 6 tablespoons of very cold water
- Wrap the pastry in baking parchment or cling film, flatten it a little and place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins to rest.
- While the pastry is resting, place a large baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200c deg (fan assisted oven)
- Core the apples and slice them thinly about ¼ inch thick. There’s no need to peel them if you don’t want to. Apple skins are a great source of fibre for gut health. Toss the slices of apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl.850 grams Apples, Juice about half a lemon
- Mix together the Sugar, Corn Flour and Cinnamon if using, then add to the slices of Apple and give everything a good mix taking care not to break up the fruit.3 level tablespoons Corn Flour, 75 g Soft Brown Sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- If adding frozen or fresh berries do so at this stage, and gently mix them with the apples.200 g frozen or fresh berries such as strawberries and blueberries
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut off just over half the amount. Leave the rest in the fridge.
- Roll out the pastry into a circle, on a lightly dusted surface, until it measures about 14 inch (36cm). Rolling between two large sheets of baking parchment will make the job easier and eliminates the need for extra flour. Carefully line the baking dish with pastry.
- Add the Apple and Berry filling and brush the pastry edges with a little milk.
- Roll out the remaining pastry from the fridge, until it is large enough to cover the top of the Apple Pie. Brush the edge of the pastry lining the baking dish, with milk, place the pastry lid over the top of the apples and press firmly around the edges to seal. Crimp the pie edges with a fork or your fingers, and make a small hole in the centre to release the steam during baking.
- Roll out and cut any remaining pastry trimmings into leaf shapes and arrange them in a circle around the opening. Brush the pastry top and leaves with milk and scatter with a little caster sugar.
- Place the pie on the preheated baking tray and bake for 15 mins. Then reduce the temperature to 160c deg and bake for a further 35 mins or until baked and the pie has a golden colour.
Your Private Notes
Notes
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- Tip 1 - Using a food processor to mix together the flour and butter, will make the job quicker and easier.
-
- Tip 2 - Do not overhandle the dough or you will stretch the gluten and the pastry will become tough.
-
- Tip 3 - Rolling pastry dough between two large sheets of baking parchment will make the job easier and eliminates the need for extra flour.
- Tip 4 - The shortcrust pastry dough can be made the night before. Leave wrapped in clingfilm, overnight in the fridge. It also freezes really well.
Nutrition
Note: Recipes are tested using Metric only. The provided nutrition information is an estimate for the entire recipe, the calorie accuracy nutritional facts, unit and portion conversion are calculated by a third party app. and are not guaranteed.
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