Classic Apple Pie

Ingredients

For the all-butter crust

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour), 315 g
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, 226 g, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
• 6–8 tbsp ice water

For the filling

• 3 lb apples, 1.35 kg, about 7 medium, a mix of tart and sweet
• ½ cup granulated sugar, 100 g
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, 50 g, packed
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 30 g
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To finish

• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar

Instructions

Make the crust

1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until most pieces are the size of peas.
2. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons of ice water and stir with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if needed.
3. Divide the dough in two, shape each half into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Make the filling

4. Peel, core and slice the apples about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. Toss with the sugars, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Assemble and bake

5. Place a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or 200°C (390°F) fan, gas mark 7).
6. Roll one disc of dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle and line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish, leaving the overhang.
7. Pile in the apples with their juices, mounding them in the center, and dot with the butter.
8. Roll out the second disc and cut it into strips for a lattice, or leave it whole and cut a few steam vents. Cover the pie, trim the edges, fold the overhang under and crimp.
9. Chill the pie for 15 minutes. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
10. Bake on the hot baking sheet for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C, or 170°C (340°F) fan, gas mark 5) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles thickly in the center. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
11. Cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing.