Sofie Nordgren: Apple pie

By Sofia Nordgren

It’s apple season – and that means apple pie season. There’s something truly comforting about the smell of an apple pie baking in the oven. The scent of cinnamon and warm apples fills the kitchen and instantly creates a cosy atmosphere. The ingredients might be simple, but combined they create something extraordinary. Together, the crisp crust, sweet apples and fragrant spices bring comfort and joy in every spoonful. Whether you’re baking for a family gathering or just to treat yourself, this recipe does the trick. It’s delicious on its own, but even better with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream, if you prefer.

CRUST

270 g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
200 g butter or margarine
3-5 tbsp ice cold water

FILLING

1 kg apples
25 g butter or margarine
90 g caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp corn starch

Plant milk for brushing
1 tbsp caster sugar, to sprinkle

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a baking bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
2. Dice the margarine and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Work the dough until combined and crumbly.
4. Add one tbsp of cold water at a time, until the dough comes together.
5. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour. Leaving it overnight is absolutely fine too.
6. Let the dough rest for a little while on the countertop before you start baking with it.

FILLING

1. Peel the apples, remove the seeds and cut in thin slices.
2. In a large pan, melt the margarine. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice. Stir together.
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the apples begin to soften.
4. Sprinkle with corn starch, stir together and let simmer for another couple of minutes, or until the filling begins to thicken.
5. Let cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Divide the dough into two parts, one a little bigger than the other.
3. On a floured surface, roll out the bigger half of the dough to a flat circle, about 3 mm thick.
4. Transfer the dough to a pie tin. Place in the fridge while preparing the other half of the dough.
5. Roll out the rest of the dough to a 3-4 mm thick circle. Cut in 2 cm wide strips.
6. Take out the pie tin from the fridge and fill it with the cold apple filling.
7. Braid the crust into a lattice weaving. This is easier than it might seem.
8. Place 6 strips vertically on top of the pie. Fold every other strip all the way back and place one of the unused strips across (horizontally). Unfold the strips back so they cover the horizontal strip.
9. Now, fold the other vertical strip back and place another unused strip horizontally in top. Unfold the strips so that they cover the second horizontal strip. Hopefully you now begin to see a braided pattern.
10. Repeat with the rest of the strips until the crust is done.
11. Cut off any excess dough that lays over the edges, then pinch the crust with the bottom pie crust.
12. Brush the pie crust with plant milk and sprinkle some sugar on top.
13. Bake the pie in the lower part of the oven for about 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 175°C and bake for another 45 minutes.
14. Let cool before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.

Sofia Nordgren bio