Family recipe for an awesome apple pie using home made Champagne pastry!
Here is our family Apple Pie recipe handed down from my grandmother, the home made champagne pastry (no actual champagne is in the recipe) makes all the difference.
First – making the Champagne pastry
Ingredients.
- Self-Raising flour – 2 cups
- Sugar – 1 cup (maybe 2/3rds for less sweet)
- Milk – enough to moisten
- Butter – 1/3rd of a standard 250 g block – cold
- Salt – pinch
Instructions.
- Sift flour
- In a bowl combine SR flour + Sugar + Salt
- Add cold butter and pinch into the mix with fingertips
- Mix until crumbly
- Add milk as required and knead into the bowl with a knife and fold in until all is mixed and sticky (but not liquid)
- Once kneaded and sticky take from the bowl and place mix on a floured board
- Knead in gently with fingers (don’t roll it in)
- Keep adding flour until the stickiness is minimum
The apple filling.
- Apples – 4 Granny Smith
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Peel apples, cook down on a saucepan until broken down into a consistent pulp
- When cooked down add the cup of sugar
- Then drain off excess liquid after sugar dissolves properly
Prepare for baking. – (Use a China plate to avoid the base burning)
- Halve the mix (to top and bottom for the pie)
- Flatten the mix with hand after placing on a butter sealed China plate
- Spoon apple (or use other fruit such as Apricot etc) mix into the pastry base
- Roll the top onto a flour covered sheet of greaseproof paper ( to help it slide)
- Slide onto the top of the pie
- Place pie in a pre-heated 180 Deg C (350 deg F) oven for 15 minutes then turn down to 160 deg C (320 deg F) Should be golden on top.
Enjoy warm or cold with fresh cream, sour cream or vanilla ice cream!
