Deep Dish Apple Pie

Just like your mother used to make, this deep dish apple pie is comfort food at it's best!

Deep Dish Apple Pie

Preparation time 30 mins plus 45 mins resting

Baking time 30 mins

Makes 8 servings

For the pastry:

• 250g plain flour
• 90g unsalted butter
• 90g white vegetable fat e.g. trex
• 50g caster sugar
• 150ml ice cold water

For the filling:

• 500g Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced 5 cm thick
• 250g Golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced 5 cm thick
• 30g dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 x egg beaten to use as a wash for glazing

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C/200˚C/gas mark 7 with a heavy gauge baking tray inside and grease and line the bottom of a 24cm deep pie dish with non stick baking paper.
2. To make the pastry, sift the plain flour and caster sugar into a large bowl adding the vegetable fat and butter which has been cut into small pieces. Make sure all the fat is covered with the flour. Add the ice water to the flour and use a kitchen knife to bind everything together to form a rough dough. You may not need all the water so add the water a little at a time. As soon as you have manageable dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough carefully into a large rectangle. Fold the top third down and then the bottom third up over it. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15 mins. Repeat the rolling and folding twice more and return to the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
3. To make the filling, put the peeled, cored and sliced apples into a large pan, along with the brown sugar, cinnamon and 2 tbsp of water. Cover with a lid and gently cook until the apples are slightly softened, this should take no longer than 10 mins, allow to cool.
4. Divide your pastry into 2 with one half slightly larger than the other. Using the larger half of pastry, roll to the thickness of a 1 pound coin and line the prepared pie dish. Spoon the cooled filling into the pastry shell almost to the edges and mound it up in the middle. Dot the cloves evenly around the pie filling. Roll out the pastry lid and using the egg wash, brush the edge of the pastry shell to help seal the pie. Lay on the pastry lid and trim using a sharp knife. Crimp the edges to seal shut. Finally, egg wash the top of the pie and make a small hole in the middle of the pie to allow steam to escape.
5. Place the pie into the oven directly onto the preheated baking tray and bake for 30 mins. If the top of your pastry is looking a bit too brown before the end of cooking, cover in foil and return to the oven for the full cooking time. This pie can be served straight from the oven or can be allowed to cool to enable slicing into neat wedges.

TIP:

* This pie is suitable for home freezing for up to 1 month when sealed in clingfilm.