Apple Pie Recipes with Fresh Apples

The warm whiff of an apple pie baking will set off hunger pangs, really big ones, that will need a whole pie to satiate. An apple pie, as the name suggest is a fruit pie, whose main ingredient is 'apples'. The pastry or crust used in apple pies is shaped depending upon the type of pie one wants to relish. A top and bottom double crust pie, where the upper crust could be plain or lattice woven of strips, whereas a deep dish apple pie has only the top crust. The type and form of apples used can make a whole lot of difference in the cooking time and the taste of your pie. Apples can be fresh, canned or even made from dried ones. Preferably use fresh ones, but in their absence, dried or preserved (canned) apples can be used. Although, English in origin, apple pie today, is more associated with the American culture. As with a mix of cultures, the apple pie filling recipes remains the one all can enjoy, and with ingredients available anywhere. Hence, it does not matter which part of the world one stays in to enjoy this yummy fresh apple filled pastry.

Easy Apple Pie Recipe

Just as the apples are important to the pie, the crust too is. For without the crust, the apple filling would hold, and the taste would not be so good. Crust can be made at home, or bought read from a store. While making crust at home, make sure you add the right quality and quantity of both shortening and butter, this will ensure that your crust will have a crumbly texture that makes this pie separate from others. Always prepare the crust, before getting the filling ready. For store bought crust, choose appropriate size. Too big will spread out the filling, while too small will make it stuffy. Both ways, the apple pie will bake unevenly.

Ingredients for Pastry:

• Plain flour, 8 ounces
• Butter, 5 ounces
• Salt, a pinch
• Water, ¼ cup

Ingredients for Filling:

• Fresh cooking apples, chopped, stewed and cooled
• Sugar, to taste
• Castor sugar, 1 tsp
• Full whipped cream, 4 tbsp

In a bowl, sieve the flour and salt together. Rub in the butter with fingers, until the mixture becomes like fine breadcrumbs. Add the water, and knead it into a dough. The dough's texture should be crumbly, but firm enough to be rolled. Divide the pastry into two halves, roll out one to cover an eight inch aluminum plate. Press the rolled dough gently onto the plate and trim the edges with a knife around the edge of the plate.

In a separate bowl, combine apples and sugar to taste, and spoon the stewed apples onto the pie dough in the plate. Roll out the second half of the dough, moisten the underside slightly with water and place it on top of the filling, once again ensuring that the plate is covered. Press down the edges to seal the pastry dough and trim off the excess. Prick the surface of the pastry lightly before placing the pie in the oven, this will ensure the trapped steam has a channel to escape, else the pie could simply burst. Bake the pie in a pre- heated oven to 400F, until pie appears brown and crusty. Remove pie, cool it down and dust with Castor sugar. Cut and serve with whipped cream.

Although most apple pies call for the same ingredients and procedure, one can use fresh apples of different varieties. Apples add the sweet flavor, hence one can choose apples as per their sweetness or sourness. And if you do not like cream as a topping, try some fresh honey. While getting fresh apples, make sure you purchase good quality ones, with absolutely no stains, softness or mushiness. Get those fresh apples and fill your home with a whiff, with the best pie ever.