21 October
Banbury Apple Pie
A very old apple pie recipe from Banbury in Oxfordshire. This would have always been made with cooking apples which tend to be tarter than eating apples and cook to a pulp which makes them suitable for pies.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups (12oz) plain/all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup (6oz) butter
- 1 tablespoon caster/superfine sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 6 large cooking apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
- Juice half lemon
- 1/2 cup (4oz) sultanas
- 3 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
- Fresh milk to glaze
- Caster/superfine sugar for sprinkling
METHOD
1. Pastry: Put flour & salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the caster sugar, then stir in the egg & enough water to bind the mixture together.
3. Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface.
4. Roll out 2/3of the pastry & line a shallow pie dish.
5. Put apples slices in a bowl & sprinkle with lemon juice.
6. Layer apples, sultanas, brown sugar, spices & orange rind in pie dish, sprinkle with orange juice.
7. Roll the rest of pastry to form a lid, place on top .
8. Press edges together and trim, make a slit in the centre of the pie & brush pie top with milk to glaze
9. Bake in a preheated oven 400oF/200oC/gas mark 6 for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Sprinkle top with caster sugar, serve hot or cold.