Classic Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour
• 250 g cold butter, cubed
• 90 ml ice water
• 1.4 kg cooking apples, peeled and sliced
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pieces egg, beaten
• 1 tsp salt

Steps

1. 1
   Rub the cold butter into the flour and salt until you still see flat flakes of butter — those flakes become the layers.
2. 2
   Add the ice water and bring together with as little handling as possible. Divide in two, flatten into discs and chill 1 hour.
3. 3
   Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and leave 30 minutes to draw out juice.
4. 4
   Drain the juice into a pan, boil it down to a syrup, then toss it back through the apples with the cornflour. Skipping this gives you a soupy pie and a raw base.
5. 5
   Roll out one disc and line a 23 cm pie dish. Fill with the apples, mounded in the centre.
6. 6
   Roll the second disc, lay it over, seal and crimp the edge, and cut steam vents.
7. 7
   Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 200C for 20 minutes, then 180C for a further 35-40 minutes until deep gold.
8. 8
   Cool at least 3 hours before cutting so the filling sets.