This week I am sharing with you my mother’s recipe for apple pie. For me this is the best apple pie recipe as it uses my mother’s rich shortcrust pastry made with lard. I also always bake this as she did on an old-fashioned enamel pie plate.
The metal plate combined with a hot baking tray will ensure the bottom layer of pastry will be cooked. I use a 10 inch / 25 cm pie plate which makes a family sized pie.
The Best Apple Pie Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6-8
servings45
minutesIngredients
Mother’s rich shortcrust pastry made with 8oz / 225gms plain flour (See my recipe).
3lb of apples. Use a mixture of cooking and eating apples. I like to use British apples such as Bramley, Cox, or Russet apples. You will need 2lb prepared apples.
4oz / 115gm sugar.
A little butter, milk, and caster sugar.
Directions
- Peel, core and slice the apples. Weigh the prepared apples you need 2lb / 900gm
- Put into a saucepan with the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water and cook over a low heat until tender, but not mushy.
- Leave to cool completely. I usually cook my apples the night before I make the pie.
- Prepare your pastry using the rich shortcrust pastry recipe from last week.
- Heat your oven to 210C / 410C / 190C Fan / Gas Mark 7 and place a metal baking tray on the middle shelf to heat.
- Grease your pie plate generously with butter.
- Roll out half your pastry thinly and use to line your pie plate. Trim the edges neatly.
- Put the cold apple filling in the centre of the pastry and brush the outer rim of pastry with milk.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the filling. Trim the edges and crimp together to seal.
- Make a couple of slits in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape.
- Brush the surface of the pie with milk.
- Place on the hot baking tray in the centre of the pre-heated oven.
- Cook for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and dust with caster sugar.
- Serve hot or cold with custard, cream or ice cream.


Apple pie and a savoury pie!
Next time look out for another way to use my quick and easy rich shortcrust pastry in a savoury dish!