Apple University’s Classic Apple Pie

The most important tips for making pie pastry
• Cut the butter into 1cm cubes, wrap and chill in the freezer for 1 hour.
• Shift both flours and chill in the fridge.
• Mix vinegar and water and chill in the fridge.

① Place the cubes of butter in a bowl, sprinkle shifted flour over. Rub the butter into the flour.

② After the flour is roughly coated, pour the chilled water and work the mixture with a pastry scraper or a spatula. Do not over mix, there should be small pieces of butter left.

③ Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for more than 30 min. Shape it into a square to make it easier to flatten later. (If you get this done the day before, it will save you time the next day.)

④ Roll the dough on a floured surface to 1cm thickness with a rolling pin. Fold in three, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 10 min.

⑤ On the floured surface put the dough rotating 90° and flatten again into 1cm thickness. Fold in three, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 10 min.

⑥ Repeat the above ④ and ⑤ 3 times.

⑦ Peel and core the apples, cut into 8 equal wedges. Put the apple, peels, sugar and butter in a pan and cook.

⑧ Cook in the medium heat, simmer until the water has evaporated. Adding some peels will color apples pink. Take out the peels, add cinnamon powder and stir lightly before turn off the heat.

⑨ Spread on a plate lined with a paper towel to cool.

⑩ Preheat the oven to 200°C. Divide the dough into two and roll them out to 4 to 5mm thickness. Wrap one with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge.]

⑪ Place the rolled dough over a baking tin. Trim the excess pastry. Prick the pastry shell with a fork.

⑫ Line the bottom of the pastry with crushed cookies. Skip this process when unnecessary.

⑬ Place the apple filling into pastry-lined tin.

⑭ Cut the other chilled half of pastry 1 to 1.5cm wide and long enough to reach across the pie. Arrange strips over apples, making a lattice top. Place remaining strips around the rim of the pie. Press to stay using a back of fork.

⑮ Brush the top with egg yolk.

⑯ Bake in 200°C oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and bake for another 20 minutes. Cover with an aluminum foil if necessary.