Apple Pie

I thought making a pie is quite a difficult and challenging task so it has always not in my baking list. But when I go through of my baking list, I realised that I have been baking the similar thing like cake, cookies, bread and muffin most of the time. So should I try something more challenging, isn't? (I thought to myself)

So I decided to give a try to start with the pastry dough (Tart). I search through my book and found one that teach the step by step of making basic pastry dough recipe. The important part of making the dough is to make sure that all the ingredient is cold especially the butter must be really cold (not in room temperature). I measure it out all the ingredients and place in the fridge to chilled for a few hour before I start making the dough.

In the book step guide, the chef use both hand to knead the dough but I'm using the food processor to do the job as I afraid using the hand might increase the heat. And also I do not have confident using hand to knead the dough as this is my first attempt, in order to reduce the risk of failure is better for me to work on with the machine.

Using the food processor only took a few minute to finish the job and actually making a pastry dough is not that difficult though. I chilled the dough in the fridge overnight. If you really have no time to make the dough, there are ready chilled dough you can find in the supermarket.

Next for the filling, I choose green apple (granny smith apple). I cut the apple into small bite size and cook under the stove with the brown sugar and cinnamon, switch off the heat when the apple turn slightly soft. Add in more sugar if the apple is too sour to taste.

For that quantity of dough, I make into 2 mini pie.  There are 2 types of pastry dough, sweet crust and non sweet crust. I choose the non-sweet crust and it turn out pretty good and crisp. As for the filling (apple) is a little bit sour, I did not increase the sugar because I afraid that it will be too sweet. If you prefer the kind of more sourish and less sugary person, go ahead with this.

Something to note that, to prevent the bottom base crust turn soggy after the bake due to the liquid from the filling when you pour into the pie dough. You can spread a layer of crushed digestive biscuit to allow the biscuit to absorb the liquid. I found this helpful key ingredient in a video tutorials at youtube.

*Makes 2 mini pie.

Ingredients:

Pastry dough (non-sweet crust)

• 100gm cake flour
• 50gm unsalted butter (very cold and dice it)
• 20gm eggs (beaten)
• Pinch of salt
• 15gm cold water
• 3 pieces of digestive biscuit (crush it) 
• Some egg wash

Filling (Apple)

• 3 granny smith apple (cut into small cube size)
• 1/4 cups brown sugar 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp of unsalted butter (cut into small cube size)

Method:

Making the filling (Apple)

1. Place the apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice into a pot and cook under the stove. 
2. Cook until the apple turn soft. (Add more sugar if the apple is still too sour to taste)
3. Side aside to cool.

Making Pastry dough (non-sweet crust)

1. Place the sift flour and cold butter in a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal and no large pieces of butter remain visible.
2. Pour the ice water, egg and salt to the dry ingredients and pulse a few times. The dough will be crumbly, but should begin to hold together when a small amount is picked up and pressed together. Do not over process or the pastry will be tough, not tender and flaky.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (It will be good to work on a marble pastry board because it can stay chill longer)
4. Press the dough together into a ball and gather the dough into two evenly-sized mounds. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, to chill for 1 hour or overnight. 
5. Roll the dough out large enough to cover the pie tin. Fill the crush biscuit on top of the dough evenly and follow by the apple filling and dot the 1/2 tbsp butter randomly on the filling for each pie. Roll out the remaining dough to cover the pie. Cut a few slashes on the top to let steam escape while baking. Brush top with the egg wash. 
6. Preheat the oven and bake at 180°C for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.